21 February 2018​

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East Gippsland’s beautiful Tambo River, and the Gippsland Lakes, are threatened by highly toxic waste from an unstable tailings dam.

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A proposal by mining company Copperchem to re-open the old ‘Stockman’ copper and zinc mine at the headwaters of the Tambo means extending an already failing earthen dam to the height of the highest stand at the MCG!

The tailings dam wall is meant to last for at least 10,000 years, but the thin membrane keeping the dam intact only has a lifespan of around 100-200 years, and it has been leaking ever since the old mine closed in 1996.

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Please tell Earth Resources Victoria that the licence to extend the failing tailings dam should not be granted because:

• Reports show that much information on the performance of the dam is either missing or inadequate

• Extending the 8 hectare area of the already leaking toxic tailings dam to around 32 hectare puts the Tambo River and the Gippsland lakes at an unacceptable risk

• There is no bond adequate to guarantee the security of the dam when the mine closes again.

 

Send a message outlining your concerns to:

Manager Earth Resources Tenements
DEDJTR
GPO Box 2392, Melbourne 3001
by 5 March, quoting licence number MIN 6642

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