Does anyone really want this ??
Anyone interested in the issues of reference in this forum will know what the current countryside is like in the area proposed for the magnetite mine at Ironstone Mountain. It has good soils, good rainfall and a is a good mix of grazing and natural forest. Any creeks and tributaries from this area flow into either Deep Creek or Camerons Creek which flow into the Karuah River and into Port Stephens.
The miners say they are only interested in Ironstone Mountain (but have taken an exploration licence over 25 sq km).
These photos are of the "Savage River" magnetite mine in Tasmania.
"The open cut magnetite mine at Savage River discharges large quantities of heavy metals into the Savage River, which eventually flow into the Pieman River on the west coast. Major pollutants include manganese (870 tonnes in 2001-02), cobalt (11 tonnes in 2001-02), copper, fluoride, arsenic, nickel, zinc, lead, mercury, chromium and cadmium" (State of the Environment Tasmania, National Pollutant Inventory 2003)
There appears to be a complex rehabilitation project now underway in an attempt to rectify the extensive environmental damage previously caused by the mine. While this is certainly praiseworthy, the fact remains that unless very strict controls are maintained for this type of mining, the environmental risks are real. We hear reports of local river damage caused by the Stroud / Gloucester area coal mining at the moment, highlighting the problem of control.
If the mining is inevitable, and this may not be necessarily so, the focus then needs to be on regulation to prevent both environmental and social damage. It seems that this is not working now in our area so we have a right to be cynical.