The Rum Jungle Rehabilitation Project, Northern Territory, Australia: history and initial implementation

Authors: Ferguson, P; Jones, D; O'Toole, D; Harvey, I; Egerton, F Download Paper Open access courtesy of:

DOI https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_126

Cite As:
Ferguson, P, Jones, D, O'Toole, D, Harvey, I & Egerton, F 2026, 'The Rum Jungle Rehabilitation Project, Northern Territory, Australia: history and initial implementation', in AB Fourie, G Boggs, J Heyes & M Tibbett (eds), Mine Closure 2026: Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Mine Closure, Australian Centre for Geomechanics, Perth, pp. 1-12, https://doi.org/10.36487/ACG_repo/2615_126



Abstract:
The Rum Jungle mine site is located approximately 100 km south of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory. The mine was operated between 1952 and 1971 to produce uranium, and later for copper and other metals. During operations, local groundwater and the water quality of the East Branch of the Finniss River were severely impacted by acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD), and no meaningful closure or rehabilitation orks were completed when mining operations ceased. In the mid-1980s, a major rehabilitation works program works was implemented, which resulted in a substantial reduction in metal loads in the river and a significant improvement in aquatic ecosystem health downstream. The improvement was not sufficient, however, to meet contemporary environment protection standards. The Australian and Northern Territory governments therefore set up a National Partnership Agreement (NPA) to develop and implement a rehabilitation plan to bring the site to current standards. The Northern Territory Department of Mines and Energy (DME) has developed a preferred final rehabilitation strategy for the Rum Jungle site involving backfilling the Main Pit with the highest sulphide-containing materials relocated from the existing waste rock dumps (WRDs) and constructing two new above-grade waste storage facilities (WSFs) to contain residual mine waste materials. The initial phase of rehabilitation involves dewatering the Main Pit, which commenced in September 2025, and the construction of a groundwater water treatment plant (GWTP) to treat AMD-impacted groundwater and contact water during the construction phase of rehabilitation. This paper provides an update on the rehabilitation plan and supporting technical studies, including geochemical characteristics of mine waste materials to be relocated and the water management plan, and the data collected during the initial stages of implementing the preferred rehabilitation plan.

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