A product of extensive collaboration, investigation, engineering design and innovation. The South Capel Remediation Project was named as a finalist in the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association Industry Excellence Awards 2021 in the categories of:
- Best Remedial Project (Regional) and;
- Best Remedial Project (greater than $1m)
Completed in 2020, the project removed mineral sand residue material in old storage dams at the Capel dry plant and South Capel sites and relocated it to a new purpose-built facility at South Capel.
The old dams used during historical operations to store residues from mineral sands processing met regulatory and industry standards of the day, but not contemporary containment requirements.
It was discovered that seepage had occurred, with some common and generally non-hazardous substances found in mineral sands (such as manganese and sulfates) observed in the shallow groundwater aquifer. While deeper groundwater is unaffected, the project has significantly reduced the risk to groundwater and is seeking to achieve an enhanced environmental outcome at South Capel.
Iluka relocated the equivalent of 176 Olympic swimming pools (440,000 cubic metres) of residue from the old storage dams at Capel dry plant and South Capel into a new, purpose -built facility at the South Capel site. In respect of the project and Iluka’s approach to managing environmental risks at the sites, Iluka consulted with the community prior to and throughout the project.
Fauna was relocated to allow vegetation clearance for access to the old storage dams. Iluka engaged experts in fauna relocation to carefully move marsupials and reptiles at the sites to suitable nearby and adjacent natural areas. Marsupials moved included the Western ringtail possum, or ‘gnuraren’ in the local Noongar language, which are endangered. Relocating the gnuraren was done with great care and successfully completed in 2019.
Iluka will continue to monitor the groundwater and rehabilitated areas for approximately 10 years to ensure the rehabilitation is successful. The project was approved by the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, with other government agencies assessing and approving various parts of the project. These include the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, Main Roads WA and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy.