Boral Accused Of Quarry Neglect
Newcastle Herald
Wednesday October 8, 2008
MINING company Boral Resources has been accused of failing to clean up Speers Point Quarry after mining the site for nine years.
The 80-hectare site is on the south-west slope of Munibung Hill, near the former Pasminco smelter site.A Lake Macquarie City Council report presented at last night's council meeting said the site had been mined since 1951.Boral was given permission to mine in 1998 on condition that it remediate the site "during and after the completion of the quarry works".The report said only minor rehabilitation work had been done and the council was "investigating various enforcement options".The council has received an application from Dekagra Pty Ltd to rezone the quarry for housing.Council integrated planning manager Sharon Pope said the site needed remediation to stop erosion and to remove lead, which came from the former smelter.Cr Phillipa Parsons said she wanted details of the developer's remediation plans and the council's plan to ensure remediation occurred.Cr Wendy Harrison said Boral appeared to have "cleared out and left a mess".Ms Pope said the remediation work might have been passed on to Dekagra and council staff had discussed the matter with the company.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald