DWER gives Rio Tinto approval for rail waste stockpile near drinking water source despite asbestos risk

WA’s environmental regulator is putting its faith in Rio Tinto to adequately manage the potential for “severe” asbestos contamination of drinking water. Rio Tinto this month received approval from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to increase the quantity of railway ballast material stored within its Gudai-Darri iron ore project on the doorstep of Karijini National Park in the Pilbara. Ballast material comprises the crushed stones and gravel directly underneath a railway track to keep it level. Every few years the material needs to be cleaned or replaced to maintain the structural integrity of the track. Rio is now permitted to stockpile an extra 206,252 tonnes of ballast material a year for a total of 631,252 tonnes stockpiled each year. The 166km-long Gudai-Darri rail line cuts through the Wittenoom Asbestos Management Area, an exclusion zone for the forsaken site of Australia’s largest asbestos mine. More than 2000 of the workers and residents of Wittenoom have so far died from asbestos-related diseases, according to the Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia. Ballast material sitting amidst this pernicious area is crushed and screened virtually a stone’s throw away from the Millstream Water Reserve — a public drinking water source. DWER said the growing waste stockpile poses a “high risk” of potential wind-borne asbestos effects on Millstream, other water creeks and “threatened migratory species”. These migratory animals include the Night Parrot, Northern Quoll and three sub-species of the Sandpiper bird. While DWER believes the chance of a contamination event from the deadly fibrous mineral is “rare”, if one does occur the consequences would be “severe”. But the State regulator concluded Rio has the protocols in place to manage the risk. The dual-listed miner has pledged to test the ballast material for asbestos before it is removed for stockpiling, limit the height of stockpiles to 14m and ensure the mounds of waste are no closer than 50m from a water source. “At Rio Tinto, the safety of our people, the community, and the environment we operate in is our top priority,” a company spokesman told The West Australian. “We work with regulators to ensure we comply with regulations and put the appropriate measures in place to prevent and minimise any potential risks.” In its application to DWER, Rio stated that asbestos soil sampling of a 195km-long pit the Gudai-Darri rail track was laid in had been previously undertaken with “no asbestos reported”. Gudai-Darri railway construction contractors Clough and Acciona sued Rio in 2022 for “unconscionable conduct” in relation to asbestos reporting. The duo claimed Rio downplayed asbestos contamination at the site of rail works. They asserted the deadly substance was detected in high concentrations, which resulted in $21.3 million of asbestos-related disruption costs. Rio denied the allegations. It is believed the case was settled out of court. The $US3.1 billion Gudai-Darri iron ore mine formally opened in June 2022 at $US500m over budget and six months behind schedule. The Anglo-Australian mining behemoth blamed labour shortages, supply chain issues and inflation for the cost blowout and time delay.