Newmont Mining Corporation

Staff from Newmont's Jundee operation are rehabilitating the land surrounding the mine by reclaiming the disturbed area for rangeland and wildlife habitat. With the processing plant and mining camp at Nimary now closed, reclamation crews are working to provide a safe and aesthetically pleasing site for the future of landowners, the mining industry and the community.

According to Environment and Social Responsibility Superintendent Cheyne Mann, our environmental team reassessed existing rehabilitation and completed remedial earthworks to improve stability and other environmental conditions.

"The final top soiling, seeding and ripping of the new and reworked land forms will help improve stability and vegetation growth," he said.

In 2009, work on the rehabilitation program surrounding the immediate mine area continued, as well as four major segments of the southern open pit mining area. Rehabilitation plans are made well into the future, with the objective that all available mine rehabilitation is completed before mine closure.

Adapted from Beyondthemine.com

The Jundee operation in Australia sources water from groundwater wells, the underground mining operation and from mine pit water collection. In addition, we recycle as much water as possible within the processing portion of our operation. By maximizing the water that can be recycled, Jundee reduces the need to pump and use groundwater.

Jundee conducted a detailed water balance study to identify ways we could improve how we manage water on-site. As a result, our site is working to install additional equipment to assist in identifying water efficiency improvement opportunities.

Our operation has made a number of significant improvements to the understanding and management of water on site including the development of a water balance to assist planning efforts. Each department also prepared a water-specific risk register and work programs to minimize their water risks.

In addition, we carried out specific actions to reduce impacts on local and regional water bodies. We re-drilled the Fisher Pit Recovery Bore to increase potential water recovery from the Fisher Pit. Jundee incorporated a management practice of bore rotation in the village potable and mine water supply system to ensure specific areas of the aquifers are not being over-stressed.

To reduce process water consumption, we designed and installed a seepage interception system around the tailings impoundments to allow water recovery back to the processing plant.

Finally, we completed individually minor, but collectively significant tasks including replacing a number of broken flow meters; installing new flow meters to increase data knowledge in the water flow pathways; replacing showerheads to improve efficiency; and refitting the sprinkler system in camp with a small drip system that dramatically reduces water usage.