A Northern Territory safety authority says it is satisfied a dangerous mineral spill has been cleaned up. The Dangerous Goods incident occurred when an Adelaide to Darwin train derailed causing the spill.
Approximately, 1,200 tonnes of copper concentrate trickled into the Edith River when a freight train encountered a flooded rail. After the spill, NT Worksafe instructed Oz Minerals to clean up the spill before the end of January.
Reports have indicated that most of the spill has been effectively eliminated from the site surrounding the rail crossing. Oz Minerals was granted a pass from dangerous goods transport laws to carry the mineral in containers covered by tarpaulins.
The company stated that the use of sealed containers will be implemented to carry copper concentrate to Darwin by the end of next month.
The damaged rail is likely to be in working order by the middle of February.Currently, the Territory Environment Protection Authority has claimed that it is investigating another toxic hazard in the Edith River.
The flash flooding that caused the derailment also caused the uncontrolled release of waste water from a retention pond at the mine site.The EPA claims to be actively monitoring the briefs on water quality in Edith River and further downstream because of the spill and derailment.
The EPA stated that they have questions regarding both incidents, primarily regarding any potential environmental issues. After more testing has been conducted a decision will be made on whether a formal inquiry will be held.
More info on Dangerous Goods
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-03/20120203-edith-river-copper-spill-cleanup/3809628?section=nt
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