Determining bioaccessibility risks at the historic Aberfoyle tailings site, northeast Tasmania: opportunities for effective rehabilitation

The historic Aberfoyle Mine at Rossarden, north eastern Tasmania operated from 1931 to 1982 producing 11,000 tonnes of tin and 3,500 tonnes of wolfram. Ore from the Aberfoyle Mine and the nearby Story’s Creek Mine was processed on site and pyritic tailings were pumped into nine tailings dams also on site. Metal sulphides within the tailings dams are a known contaminant and a source of acid mine drainage (AMD), with metal levels including cadmium measured above ANZECC (2000) guideline values. Major rehabilitation works previously undertaken have included the emplacement of an earth capping over the tailings dams and vegetation trials. The vegetation trials have however shown limited success, with only grass species growing with a patchy coverage to approximately 20 cm high.