At the three operating uranium mines in Australia there are examples of both excessive water consumption and ground water contamination. Uranium mining is thirsty, and radioactive tailings are a complex management issue that has often involved the leaching of radioactive materials into groundwater or purposefully pumped into aquifers.
BHP’s Olympic Dam uranium mine in SA currently uses 35+ million litres of water a day taken from the Great Artesian Basin, which it pays nothing for under legal privileges in the Roxby Downs Indenture Act. The proposed expansion of Olympic Dam will then require upwards of 260 million litres of water a day, which will involved a further 7 million litres taken from the GAB and the proposed construction of a desalination plant to which there is huge opposition.
Rio Tinto's (aka Energy Resources Australia) Ranger uranium mine in NT has had over 150 spills, leaks and license breaches, one of which involved workers being exposed to contaminated drinking water and shower water.
Heathgate Resource’s (subsidiary of General Atomics) Beverley Uranium mine as part of its mining method pumps heavy metals, acid and radionuclide’s into the aquifer and has no obligation to rehabilitate the aquifer.
For more information on water issues associated with uranium mining see these links.
*** link to Dr Gavin Mudd, publications on mining sustainability and water http://civil.eng.monash.edu.au/about/staff/muddpersonal
“Uranium miners turning water into Liquid Waste”- Dr Jim Green FoE http://www.foe.org.au/resources/chain-reaction/editions/chain-reaction-1... ***
