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A new beginning for Tui mine site
Tui Mine... the clean up starts next year.
Photo: Noel Harvey-Webb.
Cleaning up Tui Mine, one of New Zealand’s most contaminated sites, is expected to start in December 2008 and cost $9.88 million over two years.
The mine site sits on the western flank of Mount Te Aroha, one of Waikato’s highest peaks. In Mäori legend the spirit of Te Mamoe, son of a Bay of Plenty chief, caused a stream of crystal water to flow from the heart of the mountain. But that stream has become blighted by acid and metals from the abandoned mine workings and is now almost devoid of life.
Tui Mine’s story started in 1967. Norpac Mining Ltd opened it to extract metals, including copper, lead and zinc. The mine prospered and the company found several thousand ounces of gold and silver among the ore. Then unacceptable levels of mercury were found in the ore and the company buying it pulled out in 1973. Two years later Norpac went into liquidation and Tui Mine was abandoned.
Mining equipment was removed for use at other sites or sold for scrap. Left behind was a large pile of ore and sand-sized crushed ore (tailings), dammed to prevent it slipping down the mountainside. Over the years, this tailings dam fell into disrepair and became unstable. In 1980 the Hauraki Catchment Board built a gravel embankment to stop the tailings slipping onto property further down the mountain.
Little progress has been made in the past 30 years to deal with Tui Mine’s toxic legacy but that’s about to change. The Ministry for the Environment provided money for initial stabilisation works in 2006, in partnership with local government. And, thanks to the Government’s 2007 Budget, money has been set aside to start a major clean up operation.
“There will clearly need to be a considerable amount of public consultation and detailed planning required before work actually starts,” said Dennis Crequer, Special Projects Manager at Environment Waikato.
The clean up will involve reconstructing the tailings dam to further reduce the risk of it slipping down the mountainside. A cap will be put on the tailings deposit to stop acid and metals washing out. And horizontal shafts into the old underground mine workings will be flooded and sealed.
Remediation of the Tui Mine site will reduce public health risks and improve the quality of water in the region.
For more information contact Stuart Taylor on (04) 439 7536 or stuart.taylor@mfe.govt.nz
