As part of the site rehabilitation plan, a detailed investigation has been completed on the project.
The plan place as much waste as possible into the old open pits, while the remaining waste will be placed in a purpose built waste rock dump on site
Drilling has been carried out to identify the best location for new waste rock dump.
Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy’s principal mining scientist Tania Laurencont said: "Large earthmoving machinery also excavated sample pits into the existing waste rock dumps to collect representative samples to determine the physical and chemical properties of the waste.
"This information will be used to develop appropriate management and placement strategies for the waste in any future site rehabilitation."
Laurencont was quoted by ABC News as saying: "During stage one we set that cost at just over $100m but as you work through detailed designed it’s certainly looking more in the range of $200m."
From 1950 to 1971, uranium and copper were mined at the project and waste rock buried at the site has started releasing acid and metals into the East Finniss River.
Image: The Rum Jungle mine site. Photo: courtesy of Northern Territory Government.
