The report was released last Monday via email and is open for comment until July 13.
The company aims to pump the AMD water from Grootvlei mine shaft number three, which will then be treated, and the sludge pumped to a disposal facility.
Once the heavy metals have been removed and the water’s pH neutralised, the treated water will be pumped into the Blesbokspruit.
Two sites, Largo and Grootvlei, were considered for the facility, but Grootvlei was put forth as the preferred site.
During a meeting in May to discuss the environmental impact, concerned residents raised various questions on how this facility will affect them, some of which included:.
- There are low flying bridges in the spruit, has the impact of flooding been considered?
Answer: The rise of water will be minimal millimetres, much bigger impacts are from flooding events.
- Is the pipeline below or above ground?
Answer: Both options were looked at and underground pipelines were not preferred. The above ground option was decided on as this allows for the inspection of pipes, which have no recycling value.
- Will research on the sludge be completed?
Answer: The sludge samples that were received have been analysed and classified as a type three waste. Further sludge analyses will be conducted to determine radioactivity concentration levels.
- Will the water, which is released from the treatment plant, be high in salts?
Answer: The water will be high in sulphates. The long term solution is to remove these sulphates to industrial or potable standards. The long-term project must come on line as the high sulphate water will put pressure on the Vaal River system.
- Monitoring also needs to be a community issue, the community needs to be involved a lot on all aspects.
Answer: Specialists are independent and the reports need to be submitted to the authorities. It has now been indicated that monitoring results must be submitted to the Blesbokspruit Forum and the Blesbokspruit Trust.
The final Environmental Impact Assessment Report is available for a 21-day public comment period, from June 22 to July 13.
The report is available on the Digby Wells website (under public documents) at www.digbywells.com
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