The Mount Lyell Remediation and Research and Demonstration Program was a joint rehabilitation programme between the Supervising Scientist

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and the Department of Environment and Land Management,

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

to clean up the King River, Queen River and

Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by th ...

. This was following over 100 years of mine waste and town waste from Queenstown being emptied into the rivers. It was conducted after the closing of the

Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company was a Tasmanian mining company formed on 29 March 1893, most commonly referred to as ''Mount Lyell''. Mount Lyell was the dominant copper mining company of the West Coast from 1893 to 1994, and was based in ...

in 1994, and most reports were produced by 1996. At the time of the final report it was claimed that the program was one of Australia's most comprehensive response to large scale environmental damage. The review of the effluent and environment of the Mount Lyell mining lease resulted in reports that were published, and the new owner of the Mount Lyell lease - Copper Mines of Tasmania (first company) - complying with requirements of the findings and the creation of tailings dams and the conclusion of any effluent disposal into the Queen River and King River. Even after the remediation programme, doubts exist regarding the issues addressed. The delta at the mouth of Macquarie Harbour that has an extended size of sediment has been of concern, before and since the programme.

Notes

References

Davies P, Mitchell N and Barmuta L (1996) ''The impact of historical mining operations at Mount Lyell on the water quality and biological health of the King and Queen River catchments, western Tasmania''. Mount Lyell Remediation Research and Demonstration Program. Supervising Scientist Report 118, Supervising Scientist, Canberra.

Publications

*Koehnken, Lois (1997) ''Final Report'' Mount Lyell Remediation Research and Demonstration Program. Supervising Scientist Report 126, Supervising Scientist, Canberra. {{coord missing, Tasmania Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company Macquarie Harbour Queenstown, Tasmania King River (Tasmania)