PIRSA Minerals

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Progressive Rehabilitation

Volunteer planting treesSmall areas of disturbed land are rehabilitated each year by applying imported soil cover, mulch or manures, landscaping and planting out with pasture grass and seedlings.

Tube stock of a variety of native shrubs and trees are planted out in June or July of each year. Failures are replanted in following years until vegetation is established. The most successful rehabilitation to date has been the establishment of vegetation on the tailings dam and tailings dam wall.

This work commenced with trial planting in 1987 and has now been completed. Accumulated sludge cleared from household septic tanks is deposited continually amongst the trees with great success. The sludge provided soil, nutrients and microbes that build the soil cover to the benefit of the vegetation.

Attention is now shifting to the rehabilitation of small areas on the quarry site.

The southern end of the main quarry bench has been stacked annually with gypsum clay, the product of the neutralisation plant. The clay was heaped up to form regular shaped bunds, retreating to the north until the southern bench was covered. The bunds are topped with a variety of scavenged covers of soil, mulch, pea-straw, biosolids, and horse manure. The first tube stock were planted out in June 1999. The aim is to establish soil and vegetation cover that will retain precipitation, reduce surface erosion and provide a more natural type soil cover over the underlying pyrite mineralisation. The trees, as they establish will part screen and part blend the stark view of the footwall backdrop.

Volunteers planting treesIn May 2001 the old metallurgical plant site was spread with imported soils, horse manure and sown to pasture grass. In June 2001 Urrbrae High School students planted out the area with tube stock. The established grass successfully reduced runoff from the area and prevented erosion of the surface cover.