Location
Australia
As Mt Rawdon progresses towards mine closure and rehabilitation, we are reviewing options to transition the site in innovative ways, including the MRPH and to open woodlands suitable for cattle grazing. One exciting way to facilitate this transition is utilising wetlands. Wetlands act as a filter to remove materials from water, ensuring any water released from the site is suitable for improved pasture, cattle or to enter local waterways. The focus of this option is on passively treating water from the mine site to support its application for future land uses.
Following existing work with CSIRO, in mid-May 2024 earthworks were undertaken and a three-stage construction phase commenced. To design the wetlands as a long-term passive system and natural filter, work is underway through full-scale field trials to improve the quality of water running off the mine site, so it is suitable for offsite release. There will be six types of areas with differing materials to encourage microbes to grow, filter, and improve water quality. It is anticipated the project will require more than 400m of excavation, 2000m3 of mulch, 1300m3 of gravel, 1700m3 of other organics like leaf material and soil and the installation of 12,000m2 of liner.
We will monitor the project to analyse its performance and identify improvements to guide the construction of additional wetlands as the mine progresses through closure and rehabilitation.

