THE problem of Bendigo’s rising contaminated groundwater has been solved – for the next four years at least.
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The new $29 million treatment plant at the New Moon mining site, north of Eaglehawk, started pumping groundwater this week.
The plant removes arsenic and other naturally occurring contaminants from the groundwater before pumping it to a reclamation plant at Epsom, where it is mixed with recycled water and pumped back into Bendigo Creek.
The contaminants are stored on-site and trucked to a Melbourne landfill once a week.
The rising groundwater is a legacy of Bendigo’s gold mining past, becoming an acute problem in 2011 when mining ceased. It is the source of the “rotten egg” smell often permeating from Bendigo Creek.
Related: Toxic groundwater will be treated
Coliban Water general manager water quality performance and regulation David Sheehan said they could pump two million litres of water per day.
“The idea of the project is to ensure that we lower the level of water in the mine shafts to a point where they can continue to operate the tourist mine at Central Deborah,” he said.
“Plus, we’re making sure there are no uncontrolled discharges to the surface across Bendigo.
“We’re dragging the water up from about 260 metres.”
The state government has given itself four years to find a permanent solution to the contaminated groundwater problem, describing the New Moon treatment plant as an “interim solution”.
Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards said they would look overseas to see how other countries dealt with contaminated groundwater.
“Over the next four years we will be, again, engaging with the community and stakeholders to look at the long-term solution,” she said.
“It will go through that consultation process, that community engagement process, look at new technology, look at what’s available out there internationally.”
Ms Edwards said the state government was “working with” the Woodvale community to find a solution to the evaporation ponds issue, but could not say if the treated water could be used to rehabilitate the ponds.
Removing the smell that plagues central Bendigo
The new treatment plant might not completely remove the rotten eggs smell from Bendigo Creek, but it is planned to stop the water from rising any further.
The New Moon plant extracts two million litres of water per day.
First, it removes the hydrogen sulfide from the water – the source of the smell.
The water is then filtered to remove further particulates.
Next, it goes through a reverse osmosis unit, like a desalination plant, where the salt is removed.
The salty waste goes to the Epsom water reclamation plant, with the treated water.
The arsenic and other dangerous minerals are trucked to a landfill in Melbourne.
The $29 million project involved the refurbishment of the New Moon facility, building two new pipes to the Epsom plant, and establishing a new brine storage lagoon.