Whilst rumours are spreading like wildfire that the drainage of underground water veins to prepare for the mining process has already commenced at the Elandsfontein phosphate mine, the legal team of WCEPA is waiting for a court date to stop the activities with an urgent Section 8 application regarding various alleged infringements of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, etc.
One cannot help wondering whether it is too late and most importantly, whether local residents and property owners have ANY idea of the enormous long-term impact that a phosphate mine will have on every single aspect of their lives and the unique environment/biosphere?
Maybe it is time that West Coast residents wake UP and do their own research/homework to find out what they are up against? Name ONE phosphate mine in the world where nature did NOT pay an irreparable price – never mind where a mine is built on TWO aquifers?
WCEPA cannot fight this on their own – they need the help of every concerned resident/property owner and person who claims to love the West Coast.
Please Read:
Dear Friends of WCEPA/WOBA, please note that EEM will not be holding a Public Participation Process for their Water Use License.
We found this highly irregular, especially as the mine have released such dubious reports and have released so little information. WCEPA requested a review on the water reports released by EEM and employed Environmental Resource Management. In short here are the conclusive remarks from the document:
The EMPR, freshwater and geohydrological specialist scoping studies were reviewed to identify any potential gaps with EEMS’ findings that the mine’s activities will not materially affect water resources.
The following findings were noted:
The abstraction of groundwater for use during the construction phase has not been considered as a cumulative impact with other abstraction from the aquifer.
The unlined stormwater dam containing “dirty”water has not been considered as a potential source of groundwater contamination.
Findings related to the impacts of dewatering are based on preliminary investigations and no numerical flow model or hydrocensus have yet been conducted, despite recommendations by GEOSS in this regard.
The impacts to groundwater quality cannot be properly ascertained as no baseline water quality of water users in the area has been collected, and the information regarding potential contaminants leaching from waste materials is incomplete (leaching test on tailings, stormwater composition not considered).
Several of the DMR comments which were required to be addressed in the final EMP/EIA have not been adequately addressed.
Based on the review of the EMPR and the specialist reports (i.e. GEOSS (2014) and Bluescience (2014)), ERM believes that the information provided to the DMR was scoping level information only, and that several important aspects related to water such as the preparation of a detailed impact assessment, which would typically be addressed in an EIA specialist report for such an activity, have not been addressed.
MAP: Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation, flow path of Saldanha Bay aquifers.
