Supervising Scientist Annual Report 2004–2005

Supervising Scientist, Darwin, 2005
ISBN 0 642 24395 6
ISSN 0 158-4030

Contents

List of tables

Table 2.1 - Ranger Production Activity For 2004-05 By Quarter
Table 2.2 - Ranger production activity for 2000-2001 to 2004-05
Table 2.3 - Annual Radiation Doses Received by Workers at Ranger Uranium Mine
Table 2.4 - Ranger Minesite Technical Committee meetings
Table 2.5 - Ranger Authorisation Changes/Approvals
Table 2.6 - Summary of Magela Creek 2004–05 Wet Season Water Quality Upstream and Downstream of Ranger
Table 2.7 - Summary of Gulungul Creek 2004–05 wet season water quality upstream and downstream of Ranger
Table 2.8 Average Annual RDP Concentration at Jabiru East and Jabiru and Doses Received from the Inhalation of RDP at Jabiru
Table 2.9 Jabiluka Minesite Technical Committee meetings
Table 2.10 Jabiluka Authorisation Changes/Approvals
Table 2.11 Summary of Ngarradj (Swift Creek) 2004–05 Wet Season Water Quality Upstream and Downstream of Jabiluka
Table 2.12 Nabarlek Minesite Technical Committee Meetings
Table 2.13 Nabarlek Minesite Technical Committee meetings
Table 2.14 Nabarlek Authorisation Changes/Approvals
Table 3.1 toxicity of Mg to six tropical freshwater species (a) without additional Ca and (b) with Ca added to maintain a Mg :Ca ratio of 9:1
Table 3.2 predicted denudation rates on the Ranger landform
Table 3.3 Influence of numerically-dominant fish species in channel billabongs upon correlation and regression results for the paired-site dissimilarity value, and time
Table 6.1 - Overseas Events 2004-05
Table 7.1 - Staffing numbers and locations (at 30 June 2005)
Table 7.2 - Summary of Cost of Outputs
Table 7.3 - Animal Experimentation Ethics Approvals

List of figures

Figure 1.1 Alligator Rivers Region
Figure 2.1 - Ranger mine site
Figure 2.2 - Water Treatment Plant under construction June 2005
Figure 2.3 - Annual rainfall Ranger mine 1971–72 to 2004–05
Figure 2.4 - Uranium concentrations in Magela Creek since the 2000–01 wet season (SSD data)
Figure 2.5 - Uranium concentrations measured in Magela Creek by SSD and ERA during the 2004–05 wet season
Figure 2.6 - Uranium concentrations measured in Magela Creek by SSD and ERA during the 2004–05 wet season
Figure2.7 - Uranium concentrations in Gulungul Creek since the 2000–01 wet season (SSD data)
Figure 2.8 - Uranium concentrations measured in Gulungul Creek by SSD and ERA during the 2004–05 wet season
Figure 2.9A and 2.9B - Creekside monitoring results for freshwater snail egg production and larval black-banded rainbowfish survival for wet seasons between 1992 and 2004
Figure 2.10 - Paired upstream-downstream dissimilarity values (using the Bray-Curtis measure) calculated for community structure of macroinvertebrate families in several streams in the vicinity of the Ranger uranium mine for the period 1988 to 2005
Figure 2.11 - Paired control-exposed dissimilarity values (using the Bray-Curtis measure) calculated for community structure of fish in Mudginberri (‘exposed’) and Sandy (‘control’) billabongs in the vicinity of the Ranger uranium mine over time
Figure 2.12 Relative abundance of fish in billabongs with different degrees of exposure to contaminants from Ranger uranium mine, 1993–2005
Figure 2.13 Paired dissimilarity values (using the Bray-Curtis measure) calculated for community structure of fish in ‘directly exposed’ Magela and ‘control’ Nourlangie and Magela billabongs in the vicinity of the Ranger uranium mine over time
Figure 2.14 Radon decay product concentration measured by eriss and ERA in Jabiru and Jabiru East from 2002 to early 2005
Figure 2.15 View towards the former mineralised stockpile area and Interim Water Management Pond (Jabiluka, March 2005)
Figure 2.16 Uranium concentrations in Ngarradj since the 1998–99 wet season
Figure 2.17 Uranium concentrations measured in Ngarradj by SSD, DBIRD and ERA during the 2004–05 wet season
Figure 2.18 Radium-226 activity concentrations in Ngarradj upstream and downstream of Jabiluka
Figure 2.19 Radon decay product (RDP) and long lived alpha activity (LLAA) concentrations measured at the eriss Mudginberri Four Gates Rd radon station
Figure 2.20 Radon flux densities from surfaces of the rehabilitated Nabarlek mine
Figure 2.21 Gamma dose rates [ µGy-hr^-1 ] measured at radiological anomalous area
Figure 2.22 Heli-drilling pad in operation near Myra Falls Camp
Figure 2.23 Extent of fire surrounding drill site as seen from the air
Figure 3.1 Effect of Ca (expressed as Mg:Ca ratio) on the toxicity of Mg to three species, when Mg concentration was held constant at the IC₅₀ concentration
Figure 3.2 BurrliOZ species sensitivity distributions for Mg toxicity at (A) natural Magela Creek background Ca concentration (ie ~0.2 mg/L) and (B) a constant Mg:Ca ratio of 9:1
Figure 3.3 Cumulative probability distributions for Mg concentration and Mg:Ca ratio in Magela Creek downstream of Ranger, from 1985–2005
Figure 3.4 Radon exhalation measurements at the ore stockpile rim, using a radon emanometer
Figure 3.5 ²²²Rn flux density plotted versus the soil ²²⁶ Ra content for various sites
Figure 3.6 Annual variation of ²²² Rn flux density and cumulative rainfall plotted versus the date
Figure 3.7 A freshwater mussel, Velesunio angasi, from the South Alligator River
Figure 3.8 Areas of potential erosion / deposition on v3 landform after 1000 years using parameters for (a) ‘worst case’ scenario; (b) ‘best case’ scenario
Figure 3.9 The Ngarradj catchment showing the Jabiluka Mineral Lease, eriss ’s gauging stations and local creek names
Figure 3.10 Relative abundances of chequered rainbowfish and glassfish in channel billabongs over time
Figure 3.11 Environmental correlates of rainbowfish abundance in Mudginberri Billabong, 1989–2005
Figure 3.12 Temporal patterns of abundance of fish in shallow billabongs before and after the arrival of cane toads in two catchments
Figure 3.13 Basic elements of a contaminant pathways conceptual model for Ranger uranium mine
Figure 3.14 Conceptual model for transport of inorganic toxicants from Ranger uranium mine via a direct surface water to surface water pathway
Figure 6.1 Two-way exchange of knowledge during the pop-netting program
Figure 6.2 Communicating the water chemistry monitoring programme to Mudginberri residents
Figure 6.3 Signing the Boggy Plain Memorandum of Understanding

Contents