tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4868208460566587951.post4034460614954883129..comments2023-04-30T17:37:20.658+10:00Comments on A Clarence Valley Protest: Another gold mining company exploring within the Clarence River catchment in 2012Judith M. Melvillehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16266292998173786600noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4868208460566587951.post-682140165824031892013-05-09T20:18:10.310+10:002013-05-09T20:18:10.310+10:00"It is worrying that a substance as toxic as ..."It is worrying that a substance as toxic as cyanide could enter any ecosystem. It is an extremely toxic substance. As an occupational health practitioner, I know that any use of it industrially is extremely dangerous. It is used in mining because of the solubility of gold ore. The ore is broken up mechanically, cyanide is poured onto the ore, and the solution of cyanide and dissolved gold is then collected in what is called a pregnant pond — pregnant because the cyanide in that pond has gold in it. A process then strips the gold from the solution, and the cyanide is diverted to another pond, generally known as a barren pond because it does not have any gold in it.....Timbarra supposedly was built on world's best practice. It had not only a pregnant and a barren pond but a bund beyond that—in other words, another dam in case there were any barren pond containment problems....About 18 months after we had been assured by the Minister that it was a wonderful mine, employing world's best practice, but it had just happened to be quarantined, and the area had rains that were heavier than expected....The heavier rains led to an overflow of all the Timbarra dams." [NSW LC Hansard, 9 November 2004]Judith M. Melvillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16266292998173786600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4868208460566587951.post-35742656430437850372013-05-09T17:41:55.559+10:002013-05-09T17:41:55.559+10:00 Hi I built the Timbarra Gold Mines infrastruture... Hi I built the Timbarra Gold Mines infrastruture , I can speak with absolute knowledge of site . I can state that the Timbarra Gold Mine operating in your suggested time frame . DID NOT HAVE A TAILINGS DAM !! and did not ever have an overflow of ANY contaminates from site and IN FACT won a Environmental award and is a credit to its ( then )workers Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com