Environmental Agency Issues Aussie Gold Mine With ‘Largest Fine’ for Dust Pollution

A view of the Cadia mine at Orange as pictured Friday, Jan. 8, 2010. AAP Image/Jacky Ghossein

One of Australia’s largest gold mines has been issued with an environmental agency’s largest fine after it was found that the operator failed to “maintain appropriate levels of dust mitigation.”

Cadia Valley Operations, an operator of Cadia Gold Mine, located near Orange, NSW, was issued $15,000 (US$10,445) by New South Wales’ (NSW) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not maintaining effective coverage of Hydromulch, a dust suppressant, at two facilities—Northern and Southern Tailings Storage Facilities.

Hydromulch, is an hydraulic technique that uses seeds, mulch and fertiliser in a slurry with water, which when once applied on surfaces provide a protective cover and prevents erosion.

“An investigation into resident complaints on 19 April found the dust had blown from the company’s Northern Tailings Storage Facility,” EPA Director Regulatory Operations Cate Woods said in a media release.

Woods said the operator’s failure to maintain the dust suppressant on the tailings storage facilities was a “serious matter,” which had resulted in ongoing dust lifts from the Cadia mine site.

However, this is not the first time these issues have been raised.

The EPA found that tailings, the by-products of mining, had dried out at the two facilities when a dam wall was built to separate the two facilities following a “catastrophic failure” in 2018. Since then, the tailings have dried out resulting in “dust lift” events that caused concerns for residents near the sites.

“The EPA has received numerous notifications by residents of dust lift events visible from their homes,” Woods said.

“Although the EPA has taken other action related to these events a need for deterrence is required,” Woods said.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, Cadia General Manager, Aaron Brannigan said his company acknowledged that dust lift events have been of concern to some members of the community, and added that the company is conducting repairs to the Northern Tailings storage facility.

While the $15,000 (US$10,445) is the largest fine the EPA can issue under its legislation, the NSW EPA said more action would be taken if the operator is found to continue to breach the rules.

“Cadia accepts the fine issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and commits to continuing to work proactively with the EPA and the local community on air quality monitoring and dust mitigation measures,” Brannigan said.

Residents Heard

Gemma Green, a farmer and member of Cadia Sustainability Community Network, said she was “grateful for the outcome from the EPA,” reported the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

But she said that the fine was not a “matching penalty,” adding that decreasing a mine’s ability to produce for 12 months would “create more action to proactively change things with the dust issue.”

Newcrest, the owner of Cadia Valley Operations, released a report in July 2021 that assured the community that dust lift from tailing posed no risk to public health, reported the ABC.

“Cadia continues to research and implement ways to address improved dust mitigation practices, including the application of Hydromulch (seeded growth medium) and distribution of a dust suppressant via a tracked vehicle (Panther) and aerial distribution,” Brannigan said.

He added that since April, Cadia has doubled its dust mitigation program, and was also managing potential high wind events.

On Aug. 18, Newcrest (pdf) reported an underlying profit of $1.2 billion and a record free cash flow of $1.1 billion for the 2021/2022 financial year. The report also said that the mining company remained relentlessly focused on the “safety and wellbeing of our workforce and the local communities in which we operate.”