Since 2009, the Northern Territory and Australian governments have been working under a national partnership arrangement to inform a rehabilitation plan for the former Rum Jungle uranium mine.
Part of the rehabilitation strategy is to backfill a flooded former pit (Pit), which extends down to 100m below the current pit lake surface and was historically partially backfilled with uranium tailings. It is proposed to utilise the remaining pit volume below water level to sub-aqueously store Potentially Acid Forming (PAF-I) waste rock which currently occupies large stockpiles across the site.
The rehabilitation design and planning process undertaken to develop a strategy commensurate to project objectives and construction constraints involved the establishment of key constraints derived from the analysis of historic data sources and preliminary design efforts.
Tabled strategies were balanced against dependent project tasks and project objectives, especially surrounding minimising disturbance of highly contaminated materials within the Pit. Ideas were developed in conjunction with industry input and review of case histories to develop a remediation solution that is constructible within the project timeframe and constraints.