Mine's rehabilitation to start rendering results

Rehabilitation work at the Bengalla Mine will soon start to become evident to the nearby township of Muswellbrook.

Work has begun to infill a waste rock landform that faces the town, an area that previously housed the mine's Run of Mine coal hopper.

Once the area is filled with waste rock it will then be shaped, covered in top soil and rehabilitated to help significantly reduce the visual impact of the mine to the Muswellbrook community.

Bengalla General Manager Operations, Andrea Sutton, said the rehabilitation works will help enable the side of the mine which faces the town to blend in with the surrounding landscape.

"Muswellbrook residents will start to see this rehabilitation work taking shape during 2010," Ms Sutton said.

"It will take around three years for the entire area to be filled with waste rock and rehabilitated. Where possible we will progressively rehabilitate the area to a mix of pasture for grazing and native vegetation.

"We know that this is an important issue to the community, and we are pleased with the progress to date, and will continue to keep the community informed as this work continues."

Last year Bengalla completed 13 hectares of rehabilitation with the assistance of local suppliers and contractors, which was three hectares above its annual target.

During this work in 2009, Bengalla introduced some changes to its rehabilitation work, including the trial of a new soil treatment and the use of an agronomist.

"Last year we began trialling a new waste treatment product that has been developed by a local commercial supplier to improve soil structure and give the soil a nutrient boost," Ms Sutton said.

"In rehabilitating the 13 hectares of land back to pasture, Bengalla used a seed mix that is tolerant to grazing pressure and provides a diversity of grass species to enhance the long term biodiversity of the area.

"It is important to us that our local communities actively participate in the economic activity that results from our operation.

The rehabilitation work is an important focus of the mine to help ensure that the land will be available in the future for other uses such as agriculture.

Ms Sutton said throughout Bengalla's life, a range of rehabilitation programmes will continue to be enhanced to manage its impact on the land on which it operates.

"These plans form part of Bengalla's Environmental Management System which is certified to the IS014001 international standard and provide a framework for undertaking rehabilitation and other land management programmes," Ms Sutton said.

"We consider biodiversity aspects, regional revegetation strategies, nearby wildlife corridors, suitability of the slope and soil types, surrounding land uses and the long term value to the community.

"We take this work very seriously, and this year we were delighted to be recognised for this work in Coal & Allied's "Environmental Sustainability Award 2009", presented by the Hunter Business Chamber."

Read more about Bengalla's rehabilitation, or drop in to the Coal & Allied shop front in Muswellbrook at 19 Bridge Street, Muswellbrook.

ENDS

Media Enquiries:
Alison Smith
07 3361 4223 / 0438 787 038

Media release - Mine's rehabilitation to start rendering results [PDF: 25 KB]