Australia national park unhurt by mine leak - govtNorthern Territory and Federal investigators last week launched a probe into how water laced with hazardous manganese could have leaked for months undetected from the Ranger uranium mine, which is surrounded by World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.Investigators are also asking why the mine's owner, Energy Resources of Australia Ltd , waited nearly a month before disclosing the leak.
"We're satisfied at this stage that there is absolutely no threat to the environment and that the water was contained in a bunded area designed for these sorts of things," Manzie said.
Manzie said the level of manganese found in water confined in a 25-acre (10-hectare) environmental buffer zone, designed to capture any hazardous discharges from the mine, was below international safety standards.
A separate investigation by Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Nick Minchin was awaiting a report by the Commonwealth's Office of Supervising Scientists before drawing any conclusions.
"On a preliminary basis, it appears the investigation by the Supervising Scientists will concur with the investigation by the Northern Territory, " a spokesman for Minchin said.
He said the Federal government was also awaiting an initial response from ERA into the incident.
ERA has said it knew of the leak as early as late March or early April, but did not notify government authorities until April 28.
ERA's chief executive, Bob Cleary, called the delay "unacceptable" in a May 2 statement to the Australian Stock Exchange but has offered no explanation.
An ERA spokesman later told Reuters the company incorrectly believed the leak was too minor to warrant its immediate disclosure.
Monsoon rains have made it difficult to determine how long the manganese - used to separate uranium from ore - was allowed to seep into the ground, although Greenpeace has said it could have started as long ago as December.
The environmental group has asked investigators to look further afield from the buffer zone for contamination. ERA is majority-owned by international mining group North Ltd