Mine to Market - Ernest Henry Mining

4 : mine to market
EHM working towards a sustainable
water solution for Cloncurry
From left to right: Andrew Daniels, Cloncurry Shire Mayor, Scott Spencer, Director General for the Department of
Natural Resources and Water (NRW), Betty Kiernan MP, Member for Mount Isa, Hon. Craig Wallace MP, Minister
for NRW, Steve de Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer Xstrata Copper North Queensland, and Mike Westerman,
EHM General Manager, inspected EHM’s Lake Julius Pipeline infrastructure on October 16.
Ernest Henry Mining (EHM) has been
working with the Cloncurry Shire Council
and the State Government to try and find
a long-term sustainable solution to
Cloncurry’s water shortage.
The mine currently receives water from
Lake Julius via a pipeline, and last year
Cloncurry Shire Mayor, Andrew Daniels,
suggested this pipeline be extended to
Cloncurry. This option is now one of a
number of permanent solutions that are
being considered for the town.
Minister for Natural Resources and Water,
the Hon. Craig Wallace MP, visited EHM
on 16 October to inspect the site’s term
reservoir and Lake Julius’ water
infrastructure, which could become a
connecting point if the Cloncurry pipeline
becomes a reality.
The Minister met with Mike Westerman,
EHM General Manager, and Steve de
Kruijff, Chief Operating Officer Xstrata
Copper North Queensland. Scott Spencer,
the department’s Director General, Betty
Kiernan MP, Member for Mount Isa, and
Andrew Daniels, Cloncurry Shire Mayor,
also attended the visit.
“We are committed to working with the
government towards finding a long-term
sustainable solution for Cloncurry’s water
situation,” says Mike.
“This process requires a lot of research,
detailed planning and design work. As a
major employer in the region, we’ve been
helping to provide some temporary
solutions so Cloncurry residents have
access to fresh drinking water in the
short-term.”
Earlier this year, EHM began supplying
potable drinking water from its camp to
local schools. More recently, EHM helped
to dig a series of new water soaks in the
Cloncurry river bed to try and further
supplement the town’s water supply.
(Soaks are voids that become water holes
as water seeps in from aquifiers and other
sources beneath the earth’s surface).
To do this, the mine supplied a 30-tonne
excavator, an operator and fuel to get the
job done. Neil Clein, a driller and
de-watering technician, spent six days
digging and managed to find a number
of soaks.
Andrew Daniels, Cloncurry Shire Mayor,
says the town will really benefit from
EHM’s efforts.
“One soak in particular is quite significant
because water is gushing into the hole
from beneath the sand,” he said.
“Having this water means we won’t have
to cart as much water in by rail now as we
work towards a longer term solution”
Neil Clein conducts excavations in the
Cloncurry river bed.