Environmental Values in the Finniss River Downstream of the Former Rum Jungle Mine Ross SMITH, Andy MARKHAM, Tania LAURENCONT Hydrobiology, Australia NT Govt, Australia

The Rum Jungle Mine Mined for uranium in the 1950s-1970s Owned by the Commonwealth of Australia Uranium oxide sales for Defence purposes Poor environmental management – substantial AMD Rehabilitated during the 1980s Substantial AMD inputs to river system remained

National partnership between Commonwealth and NT Govt. Used ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) water quality guidelines to: obtain a clear definition of the environmental values, or uses of the river system; obtain a good understanding of links between human activity (including Indigenous uses) and environmental quality identify appropriate water quality objectives, or targets Rehabilitation

Safe for people and wildlife Chemically, radiologically and physically stable Significantly reduced contaminant load (downstream AMD) Supports sustainable land uses by traditional Aboriginal owners of the area with minmal limitations Encourages beneficial post-rehabilitation land uses Rehabilitation Objectives

Set appropriate EVs and WQOs Data review and consultation Phase 1

ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) Define values or uses which require protection from the effects of pollution. Use lowest guideline for agreed EVs Needs and wants of the community must be identified when defining EVs Environmental Values

Aquatic ecosystems Cultural/spiritual Wildlife habitat Human consumer Primary recreation Secondary recreation Visual recreation Industrial use Aquaculture Drinking water Irrigation Stock water Farm supply Selected EVs

Monsoonal / Seasonal Climate Has become wetter since 1900, particularly since 1950s Climate change – drier but more intense events Gamba grass & seasonal fires have increased sediment delivery to watercourses Current Condition

Water and Sediment Quality after Rehabilitation (Patchy Datasets) ElementBeforeAfterANZECC Copper load t ~30 mg/L 2-15 t 0.74 mg/L mg/L Manganese load46-100t ~30 mg/L t 1.25 mg/L0.2 mg/L*(WHO) Zinc load16-40 t 8 mg/L t 0.48 mg/L0.02 mg/L Sulphate load t 3000 mg/L t 1758 mg/L770 mg/L

Fishes 1970s & 1990s East branch inflow

Cultural and spiritual values are an important component of water quality objective setting under ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000) Difficult to convey these to outsiders in a short series of meetings – we thank those who were able to give us some insight Indigenous Values Summary

Well-being of people is linked to the health and well- being of ‘country’ The Finniss is the main arterial river system of the region For some it is the lifeblood of ‘country’ and source of spiritual and physical good health for Indigenous people Indigenous Values Summary

Ability of the water to ‘flow-freely’ A manifestly healthy waterway is paramount Ceremonial use of waters conferred spiritual connections to Country Current contamination levels restrictive Indigenous Values Summary

Abundance and well-being of totem species like redclaw, barramundi, crocodile… White Paperbark and other animals/plants Decline in health of culturally important organisms could have a negative impact on spiritual values Cultural value has broad ecological link Indigenous Values Summary

EVs set by River Zone Reach Aquatic Ecosystems Wildlife Habitat Human Consumer Primary Recreation Secondary Recreation Visual Recreation Cultural/Spiritual Industrial Use Aquaculture Drinking Water Irrigation Stock Water Farm Supply 1)East Branch & tributaries U/S of the Mine SMD  2)East Branch within mine site to Old Tails Ck H <80%  3)East Branch Old Tails Ck to Hannah Spring H-80%PC   4)East Branch below Hannah Spring H-90%PC   5)Finniss U/S EB SMD  6)Finniss EB to Florence Ck SMD  7)Finniss Florence Ck to SOCS SMD  8)SOCS upstream limit to FW/SW interface HCV   9)Finniss EstuaryHCV  

EVs by River Zone (Cu)

Zone Aquatic Ecosystems Wildlife Habitat Human Consumer Primary Recreation Secondary Recreation Visual Recreation Cultural/Spiritual Drinking Water Irrigation Stock Water Farm Supply WQO / NA1000 Lowest / 8.0 Lowest / Lowest / NA1000 Lowest / NA1000 Lowest / NA1000 Lowest / NA1000 Lowest / NA 1000Lowest NA 1000Lowest 0.3

Draft (National Default) WQOs were taken to the stakeholders in January 2013 Strong support received WQOs have been incorporated as preliminary rehabilitation targets Stakeholder Consultation

Use results of comprehensive ecosystem impact assessment ( ) to develop LDWQOs Updated Targets for rehabilitation design Work in Progress

ANZECC/ARMCANZ framework was a useful mechanism for a legacy site with substantial cultural-spiritual values Stakeholder consultation that was well founded on knowledge of the existing conditions and causes of them worked effectively Environmental values and WQOs for rehabilitation established and agreed to on a reach basis Conclusions