Tākaka Aquifer Risk from mining.
Andy Clark :
My name is Andy Clark. My passion is COMMUNITY. I have lived in this community for over 40 years and in the past had a role in local politics. For me community trumps politics every time. I have no issue with giving politicians an earful, whether they be red, blue, yellow, black or green if my community’s wellbeing is at stake. 68 emails to MP’s last month highlights this.
I will highlight the potential risk to our community of the consequences of the mining process.
If the arsenic levels in your drinking water exceed 0.01 mg/L, you will not be allowed to drink it.
If Arsenic levels at the Top Rocks swimming hole at Paynes Ford or any of the beaches exceed 0.5 mg/L, TDC will have to put up NO SWIMMING signs.
If Arsenic levels exceed 1 or 2 mg/kg in locally grown food, it won’t be saleable. Heavy metals, including Arsenic, is absorbed by plants from the air soil and water. Maize, being one plant that is really efficient at absorbing heavy metals!
In a process called BIOACCUMULATION, plants, fish, and animals store, then pass on, heavy metals right up the food chain to us humans at the top. According to MPI NZ, regularly eating foods with high levels of inorganic Arsenic can increase the risk of skin lesions, diabetes, heart disease and cancers as Arsenic is a known carcinogen!
Because Arsenic is an element, it doesn’t decay, therefore exists forever and there is no natural clean up. If a gold mine’s waste heap leaks, there is no way of remediating the problem so the leakage will go on forever!
Arsenic Contamination Limits
- Drinking Water 0.01 mg/l
- Swimming / Showering 0.5mg/l
- Cereals 1 mg/l
- Shellfish 1 mg/l
- Fish 2 mg/l
- Red Meat ???
High Quality Water in Natural State
0.001 mg/l
Plans show that 75,000 tonnes of Arsenic will be mined at Sam’s Creak and processed at Upper Tākaka.
According to Siren Gold, over 10 years they will concentrate the sulphides (Arsenic & Gold) at Upper Tākaka and everyday truck 146 Tonnes of the toxic concentrate containing 19.5 tonnes of Arsenic 31 kilometres to Tarakohe. That’s about 5.5, 50 Tonne truck and trailer loads every day. i.e. about 11, 20 foot shipping container loads.
At Tarakohe it will need to be stockpiled for up to 48 days until there is about 7,000 Tonnes available to trans-ship via a large barge to an awaiting ship to be finally processed offshore.
Mining companies are good at changing their processes after the original approval has been gained so it is most important that the possibility of 75,000 tonnes of Arsenic going into a waste heap at Upper Tākaka is not lost sight of.
Summary
Uncontaminated water is the lifeblood of the area from Upper Tākaka to the sea. It sustains the residents whether at home or at work & what we grow to consume or sell to others to consume. In my view, the potential flow-on effect of contaminated water to the economy of Golden Bay would be huge, would affect property prices and undermine the potential of generations to come.