Residents reject toxic pond proposal

RESIDENTS of Silvermines in Co Tipperary have angrily rejected a proposal to safeguard a toxic ‘tailings’ pond by covering it with waste.

The company responsible for the site, Mogul, had suggested the idea as one of a number of proposals to rehabilitate the 147-acre Gortmore Tailings Pond and other former mining sites in the Silvermines region.

But the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has told the company it wants more details. The pond has long been covered over but the protective layer of grass has eroded in places, creating the potential for dust-blows. Much of the dust is toxic.

Mogul, a subsidiary of oil and gas company Petroceltic, met with an inter-agency group consisting of representatives from the department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and North Tipperary County Council in Nenagh on Monday.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the rehabilitation of the pond to where tailings - waste remaining after ore has been processed - was transported by pipeline when mining was carried out in the area.

Mining ceased in Silvermines in 1982, but the pond has remained a huge concern for locals, having been labelled a perpetual risk to human health and the environment by the EPA.

The residents fear dust-blows from the pond could affect their health and that of farm animals. Mogul proposes the existing waste materials be left in situ and that rehabilitative works be conducted at each individual site.

The company is also proposing the ‘beneficial re-use’ of organic wastes to assist with the restoration of the sites. This would mean putting waste on the pond to maintain a protective cover But the Gortmore Environmental Action Group reacted furiously to the proposals. Its members say they will not countenance the pond being used as “a dumping ground for waste from around the country”. Chairman Michael Leamy said they would be examining the proposal in detail and making a submission to the department in the coming weeks.

“We will ask the agencies not to accept the proposal by Mogul to use waste on the pond. We feel very strongly the pond should not be used to dump waste currently being placed in a landfill,” he said.

Senator Kathleen O’Meara said the proposal fell very short of what was needed to ensure a clean environment.

“The tailings pond and the other old mine sites in Silvermines represent a major environmental hazard in the area. The rehabilitation plan must be to the highest environmental standards and must also be a permanent solution,” she said.

The company was unavailable for comment last night, but has agreed to provide more detailed proposals to the department by the end of February.

Mogul will also begin a consultation process with locals about their proposals. The department, agencies and Mogul will meet again on March 22.