UPDATE: Barrington Tops ruby mine expansion stopped
Plans to expand ruby mining at Barrington Tops have been stopped. Both Gloucester and Upper Hunter Councils recently decided not to approve the expansion.
Congratulations and thanks go to everyone involved in this win for the environment. Every submission that was received, every phone call that was made, every person who turned up to the Council meeting, helped to influence the decisions. :
The Save the Barrington Tops (SBT) group are to be congratulated for their dedication and successful campaigning
Explorarory Mining for rubies took place from 1998 on private land beside the headwaters of the Little Manning River, to within 15 meters of the river. This is in a montane swamp which has since been proclaimed Endangered. In this exploratory phase 20,000 tons of surface gravel were removed and they subsequently have gone into production.
The trial mine of the exploratory phase did not require an Environmental Impact Statement because it was just labelled “exploration”. The process involves adding gypsum on site to the gravel material extracted changing the habitat permanently. A series of adjoining areas are designated State Conservation and State Forests land.
Exploration consent has been given to spread drilling and sampling into several other swamp areas, including the famous Polblue Swamp (left), which are located in these areas outside of the National Park. These swamps are collecting places for water which is then released into the streams. This natural process helps to maintain the steady flow and water quality throughout the drier times.
Photo: Polblue under threat from ruby mining
In Feb 2006 an Exploration Licence to look for rubies has been sought covering over 100sq km including Copeland Tops State Recreation Area and streams adjoining Gloucester Tops National Park. We understand they want to dig a series of pits beside the rivers to look for rubies. This involves the Gloucester and Barrington Rivers, Copeland Creek and potentially a series of smaller creeks.
THE RUBY, SAPPHIRE AND GOLD STORY...
Over thousands of years, rocks are subject to high temperature, and pressures, causing their basic chemicals to change. Certain crystals which result can be shaped to reflect light. These shiny stones have acquired a value to those who have plenty of money to spare
Rubies, sapphires and gold can become separated from their rock bed by natural processes. They are then washed down hill into watercourses where they mix with the other gravel, clays and soil.
When humans begin their search for the shiny stones, they start in the watercourses and the river flats which are made up of former river beds and flood deposits. If prospectors find shiny stones, they then trace back into the surrounding country to try to find the rock beds from which the shiny stones came.
When we only used hand tools to dig, the damage was bad enough. Today, with mechanical excavators and separating equipment a few operators can shift and process huge amounts of river bed, river flat and surrounding material. This is what is happening in our region today.
Photo: Ruby mining adjacent to the Little Manning River, Barrington Tops
The problem is that the same geological processes have producesd organically rich soils in the same locations. The river flats and the surrounding country are our best food producing areas.We have come to need the watercourses and the clean water that they bring to our farms, towns, cities and industries. Unfortunately, climate change is making this water supply more scarce, just when we need to secure our diminishing food producing capacity. Our region attracts thousands of visitors each year, bringing income and jobs. Many of these visitors are attracted by the beautiful scenery and rivers.
So there is, once again, competition between the mining companies and the current community, for use of the same pieces of country. Mining exploration leases and their dredging and drilling methods can cause permanent damage. Just for shiny stones.
Included in the exploration zones are precious mountain swamps in which grow a special water plant, sphagnum. The swamps are a natural water holding zone. Water collected in these swamps is purified and is released steadily, ensuring that the rivers continue to flow throughout the drier times of the year. One such swamp is the famous Polblue. These swamps are now in the declared exploration zones for the ruby and sapphire miners and they have indicated that they want to drill and dredge through these essential features. The Barrington and Gloucester Tops are sources which provide water for an area from Taree to Newcastle.
The following is taken from a fact sheet issued by the Save Barringtoin Tops Group.
“A Development Application for Cluff Resources’ small scale ruby mine was contoversially approved by Gloucester Council on 20 October , 2004. The open cut mine and processing plant flanks the headwaters of the Manning River in the Barrington Tops. Exploratory mining has been going on since 1998 without public consultation throughout the Barrington Tops Plateau, including bulk sampling of 20,000 tonnes of alluvial gravels from 9 locations on the banks of the Manning River and in areas of sphagnum swamp. Cluff plans to proceed to large scale mining within the next two years, “... a floating dredging operation is under consideration for Stage 2 - large scale mining. To maximise the resource that could be mined this would involve mining across the river, possibly by first diverting the flow through temporary culverts.” (Pg 29 Cluff Resources Gloucester Rubies project EIS Volume !)
Cluff has an exploration licence (EL5336) over a large area of Barrington Tops State Forest and Barrington Tops State Conservation Area (SCA), and in May 2006 were granted an exploration licence that includes parts of the Gloucester Tops, Copeland Tops SCA and the Gloucester and Barrington Rivers.”
“An annual report submitted to the Department of Primary Industries indicates that Cluff Resources propose to undertake multiple bulk sampling throughout their exploration licence on the Barrington Tops Plateau and possibly drilling in Polblue swamp. Cluff has advised that in their most recent exploration licence they plan to undertake large diameter drilling in the riverbeds of the Barringtoin and Gloucester Rivers and the creeks in and around Copeland Tops State Conservation Area.
The source of the Manning and Hunter Rivers and ten (10) other significant rivers is in these very important subalpine wetlands/swamps in the Barrington Tops.”
The Save Barrington Tops Group statement also disclosed that Cluff employed 6-8 workers, none of whom were local people. Also, “Rubies will be sent to Thailand to be cut and then sold in the United States as jewellery.”
Not much social or community benefit for a project that stands to seriously interfere with tourist benefits and water quality and supplies over a wide area.
More Information:
Save Barrington Tops Newsletter - September 2006
Ruby Mining in Barrington Tops: Fact Sheet