Port Moresby (The National) – Gold Ridge Mining Ltd (GRML) continues to seek approval from the Solomon Islands Government to dewater the tailings storage facility (TSF) at the Gold Ridge mine.
In a statement, the company said it was negotiating a potential transfer in ownership of the mine to a landowner company.
Gold Ridge is owned by Australian Miner, St Barbara.
Consistent with previous expert reports commissioned by GRML, the World Health Organisation confirmed in a statement recently that untreated water from the TSF is “not toxic to humans”.
A recent environmental expert report, commissioned by the Solomon Islands Government and prepared for the World Health Organisation, recommends the immediate dewatering of the TSF to avoid a potential environmental catastrophe that would ensue if the TSF wall was to be breached.
The report concluded that it is safe to pump near-surface water directly into the Tinahulu River.
