Mine link tests for Queen River

WATER samples from the Queen River at Queenstown are being tested to see if any fresh pollution in the already heavily stained waterway is coming from the nearby Mt Lyell copper mine.

Environment Protection Authority director Wes Ford said an investigation into the potential pollution of the river had begun.

“This includes the collection of water samples for testing and ongoing discussions with Copper Mines of Tasmania. Further information will be available next week, once the laboratory analysis of water samples has been done,” Mr Ford said.

Mayor Phil Vickers said he had received several complaints about the colour of the river — including one from a rafting tourism business — but he said 350mm of rain during September in the Mt Lyell catchment could be having an effect on river flows and water colour.

The ABC sent footage of the river to the EPA and that sparked the investigation.

The river bears the legacy of more than 100 years of copper mining in the West Coast town, but Copper Mines of Tasmania has carried out remediation works in the 15 years it has operated there.

About 100 million tonnes of sulfidic tailings were dumped into the river in the past.

The mine has been in care and maintenance mode since 2014 after three miners were killed in two separate incidents.

CMT did not want to comment on the issue.