{"id":4138,"date":"2026-04-16T21:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=4138"},"modified":"2026-04-21T06:31:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T06:31:46","slug":"in-tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=4138","title":{"rendered":"In Tasmania, the mines have closed but the rivers remember"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-317656\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"bulletpoints\">\n<ul>\n<li><em>Legacy copper mining in Tasmania, carried out for more than 100 years, has left parts of the King River ecosystem severely degraded, with scientists describing sections as \u201cbiologically dead\u201d due to acid mine drainage and metal contamination.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Globally, legacy mine waste has polluted hundreds of thousands of miles of rivers, exposing an estimated 23 million people to toxic metals, mostly through long-term sediment contamination rather than major disasters.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Long-closed mines, which often operated with minimal or no environmental oversight, continue to leach waste from quarry and mine sites and tailings piles, causing long-term and ongoing contamination of rivers, streambeds and floodplains. Remediation across widely polluted landscapes is difficult and costly to carry out.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Tasmania\u2019s rivers are now a test case for the world: Despite decades of research and mitigation efforts, legacy pollution persists there, offering a warning as demand for critical minerals accelerates globally, with large amounts of copper and other metals required for electric vehicles, AI data center servers and other uses.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"content-expander\"><span>See All Key Ideas<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The King River snakes through some of Tasmania\u2019s most dramatic and diverse landscape, flowing past rainforest, button grass plains and the rugged peaks of the West Coast Range before emptying into a large bay near Strahan, a quiet fishing town. To the casual visitor, the winding stream looks as wild as the lightly settled country around it.<\/p>\n<p>But on a February morning, the King\u2019s tea-brown waters flowing past forested banks near the sea were disturbingly silent. The air hummed with large, persistent horseflies and little else. Healthy Tasmanian streams typically teem with aquatic insects, including mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies, which form the foundation of freshwater food webs.<\/p>\n<p>Not here. Along the lower King River, many aquatic species are gone , an enduring effect of copper mining above Queenstown, which sent uncounted tons of mine waste downstream. That pollution originated at Mount Lyell, one of Australia\u2019s largest historic copper mines. Established in the early 1890s, its tailing piles discharged toxic contaminants into the nearby Queen River, a tributary that flows directly into the King.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317660\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Historic mine workings at Mount Lyell near Queenstown, Tasmania state, Australia, where more than a century of copper mining has left a lasting environmental legacy that continues impacting biodiversity and posing risks to public health. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although large-scale dumping ended long before the mine was finally closed in 2014, that hidden legacy of pollution remains embedded in river waters, sediments and floodplains.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nre.tas.gov.au\/Documents\/Annual%20Waterways%20Report%20-%20King%20Henty.pdf?\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Surveys<\/a> of aquatic life have repeatedly found that the sensitive species expected in clean rivers are largely absent. Investigations by Tasmania\u2019s Environment Protection Authority describe sections of the lower King River as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/epa.tas.gov.au\/business-industry\/regulation\/remediation\/mt-lyell-acid-drainage-remediation\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">biologically dead<\/a>,\u201d a stark reminder to Tasmania and the world that the impacts of mineral extraction persist long after mining ends.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the King\u2019s pollution originated in millions of tons of sulfide-rich tailings deposited during more than a century of mining at Mount Lyell. When exposed to air and water, the tailings produce acid mine drainage that dissolves metals such as copper, zinc and iron \u2014 metals that move downstream, accumulating throughout the Queen-King watershed. Large deposits even collected in a mine-waste delta where the King enters the natural bay of Macquarie Harbour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMining legacy can affect natural systems for thousands of years,\u201d says Owen Missen, a geochemist at the University of Tasmania.<\/p>\n<p>To the untrained eye, today\u2019s landscapes can appear deceptively intact. \u201cTasmania is a state of contrasts,\u201d Missen adds. \u201cThe King River appears like other rivers in western Tasmania, high-flowing and scenic, but beneath the surface it still carries decades of mine waste.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317666\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_228_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317666\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_228_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"The King River flows through western Tasmania , its discoloration can reflect sediments and runoff, including legacy mining contamination, which has severely curtailed aquatic biodiversity. Image by Stefan Lovgren.\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_228_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164502\/3a-King-River-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164502\/3a-King-River-3-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164502\/3a-King-River-3-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164502\/3a-King-River-3-610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The King River flows through western Tasmania , its discoloration can reflect sediments and runoff, including legacy mining contamination, which has severely curtailed aquatic biodiversity. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>A global crisis with local repercussions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.adg6704\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">2023 global analysis<\/a> published in <em>Science<\/em> found that mine waste has contaminated hundreds of thousands of kilometers of rivers and large floodplains worldwide, exposing ecosystems and people downstream to pollution from toxic metals. The study estimated that about 23 million people live on floodplains affected by potentially hazardous concentrations of toxic mine waste, posing enduring public health crises.<\/p>\n<p>Legacy \u201cmining pollution is far more widespread globally than previously recognized,\u201d notes Mark Macklin, a professor emeritus at the U.K.\u2019s University of Lincoln who led the study and who researches mining pollution in rivers.<\/p>\n<p>Much of mining\u2019s contamination spreads gradually unseen over many decades. Long after underground and surface mines shut down, their tailings leach toxins and acids, with metal-rich sediments accumulating in riverbeds and bottomlands, where they can persist for centuries and be remobilized during floods now driven by worsening climate change.<\/p>\n<p>More than 90% of metals associated with mining contamination are carried in sediments, Macklin explains. As a result, researchers estimate that the number of people quietly exposed via contaminated river systems globally is nearly 50 times greater than those affected by dramatic catastrophic collapses of mining waste storage dams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRivers remember mining,\u201d Macklin says.<\/p>\n<p>A more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/one-earth\/fulltext\/S2590-3322(25)00389-6\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">recent study<\/a> published in the journal <em>One Earth<\/em> found that the most persistent river contamination on the planet often comes from inactive and abandoned mines rather than new operations.<\/p>\n<p>These legacy sites, which most often were poorly regulated or not regulated at all, can continue releasing metals long after mining stops as exposed waste rock and tailings weather, creating chronic pollution sources that require long-term management and ongoing cleanup, which can be very expensive and may never happen.<\/p>\n<p>While mining pollution in rivers has been studied for decades, scientists say its effects on biodiversity remain less well understood. A <a href=\"https:\/\/conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/con4.70000\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">global review<\/a> recently published in <em>Conservation Letters<\/em> determined that research on how mining alters species, food webs and freshwater ecosystems is still emerging.<\/p>\n<p>River habitats are especially vulnerable because, unlike terrestrial life, aquatic organisms cannot easily escape contaminated environments. \u201cFreshwater ecosystems \u2026 pack extraordinary biodiversity into a small volume of habitat,\u201d says Valerio Barbarossa, lead author of the <em>Conservation Letters<\/em> study. Adding to the problem, \u201cMany freshwater organisms \u2026 are sedentary and cannot escape pollution, while other [contaminant-] tolerant species take over and proliferate.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317664\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_674_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317664\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_674_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"Montezuma Falls, on Tasmania\u2019s west coast\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_674_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164450\/A-Montezuma-Falls-Beautiful-to-see-dangerous-to-drink--768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164450\/A-Montezuma-Falls-Beautiful-to-see-dangerous-to-drink--1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164450\/A-Montezuma-Falls-Beautiful-to-see-dangerous-to-drink--350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164450\/A-Montezuma-Falls-Beautiful-to-see-dangerous-to-drink--610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Montezuma Falls, on Tasmania\u2019s west coast. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317663\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_624_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317663\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_624_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"signs warn visitors not to drink from nearby waterways affected by historic mining. Image by Stefan Lovgren.\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_624_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164445\/A3-Montezuma-Falls-water-unsafe-sign-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164445\/A3-Montezuma-Falls-water-unsafe-sign-2-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164445\/A3-Montezuma-Falls-water-unsafe-sign-2-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164445\/A3-Montezuma-Falls-water-unsafe-sign-2-610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sign warns visitors not to drink from nearby waterway affected by historic mining. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>The loss of endemic species <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The pattern of landscape legacy pollution is especially widespread in Tasmania, where a late-19th-century mining boom left behind a dense network of abandoned gold, silver, copper, tin, lead and zinc mines across the 67,000-square-kilometer (26,000-square-mile) island. Environmental regulation was nonexistent then. So, for decades, many operations discharged tailings and waste rock directly into nearby waterways, embedding mining\u2019s legacy in river sediments and floodplains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if mining stops, the contaminants don\u2019t simply disappear,\u201d Missen says. But what has vanished from those 19<sup>th<\/sup> century mines are many of the companies and all the individuals who did the harm, leaving no responsible party to pay for cleanup and no map of waste dumps.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists often can\u2019t directly see contamination, but rather detect its impacts through macroinvertebrates \u2014 insects, worms and crustaceans that live on the riverbed and which respond quickly to changes in water quality and habitat.<\/p>\n<p>In healthy western Tasmanian streams, riffles typically support diverse communities of mayflies (<em>E<\/em><em>phemeroptera<\/em>), stoneflies (<em>P<\/em><em>lecoptera<\/em>) and caddisflies (<em>T<\/em><em>richoptera<\/em>), collectively known as EPT taxa. These three major orders of insects require clean, well-oxygenated water and stable cobble habitat and are highly sensitive to acidity and dissolved metals.<\/p>\n<p>Monitoring in west coast rivers has repeatedly documented how those diverse communities collapse in mining-affected waters. Reports from Tasmania\u2019s River Health Monitoring Program on various streams show that acid mine drainage and contaminated sediments can eliminate sensitive taxa, leaving simplified ecological communities dominated by a few tolerant species. Because macroinvertebrates form the base of freshwater food webs (recycling nutrients and feeding native fish) biodiversity declines can ripple through entire river ecosystems.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317661\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_627_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317661\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_627_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"Macquarie Harbor near Strahan, a vast natural bay receiving waters from the mining-impacted King River. Image by Stefan Lovgren. The bay is home to the critically endangered Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana), a bottom-dwelling fish found in only two estuaries on Earth.\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_627_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164432\/7-Strahan-M.-harbor-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164432\/7-Strahan-M.-harbor-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164432\/7-Strahan-M.-harbor-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164432\/7-Strahan-M.-harbor-610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Macquarie Harbor near Strahan, a vast natural bay receiving waters from the mining-impacted King River. The bay is home to the critically endangered Maugean skate (Zearaja maugeana), a bottom-dwelling fish found in only two estuaries on Earth. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Farther downstream, the legacy of mining reaches the sea. Macquarie Harbour is home to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcceew.gov.au\/environment\/biodiversity\/threatened\/action-plan\/priority-fish\/maugean-skate#:~:text=Common%20name,the%20impacts%20of%20climate%20change.\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">critically endangered<\/a> Maugean skate (<em>Zearaja maugeana<\/em>), a bottom-dwelling fish found in only two estuaries on Earth. The species is highly sensitive to low oxygen levels and changes in sediment and water chemistry. Invisible to the eye, copper-rich mining sediments carried by the King River have accumulated on the harbor floor, adding to a growing mix of human stressors that include oxygen depletion linked to salmon aquaculture.<\/p>\n<p>Compounding these pressures, Tasmania\u2019s streams have been extensively reshaped for energy production (some of which was built to power mining operations). Today, about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aemc.gov.au\/energy-system\/electricity\/changing-generation-mix\/tasmania\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">80% of the island\u2019s electricity<\/a> comes from hydroelectric power, with the dams and water diversion schemes built to support yesterday and today\u2019s mining and industry altering river flows, sediment transport and downstream habitats.<\/p>\n<p>Monitoring <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcceew.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/ssr120part1.pdf\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">reports<\/a> note that these infrastructure-driven changes can interact negatively with mining legacy pollution, influencing how contaminated sediments move through aquatic systems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMining has fundamentally changed how these river systems function,\u201d Missen explains. The result is a degraded landscape that may look healthy, but where historic pollution, modern development and changing environmental conditions have negative consequences for ecosystems and stream-side communities.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317665\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_870_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317665\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_870_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"The Tungatinah hydropower facility on the Nice River in Tasmania is part of a network of dams and diversions that have reshaped river flows across the 67,000-square-kilometer (26,000-square-mile) island, one of Australia\u2019s six states. Hydropower has long been utilized to generate energy for the mining industry. Image by Stefan Lovgren.\" width=\"1367\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_870_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1367w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164456\/2-hydropower-plant-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164456\/2-hydropower-plant-1200x899.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164456\/2-hydropower-plant-610x457.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1367px) 100vw, 1367px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Tungatinah hydropower facility on the Nive River in Tasmania is part of a network of dams and diversions that have reshaped river flows across the 67,000-square-kilometer (26,000-square-mile) island, one of Australia\u2019s six states. Hydropower has long been utilized to generate energy for the mining industry. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Shattered aquatic food webs, threats to health<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>At Montezuma Falls, a popular hiking destination on Tasmania\u2019s west coast, signs warn visitors not to drink from the Montezuma River, a reminder that the region\u2019s mining history still shapes its waterways. In landscapes affected by historic mining, contaminants can accumulate in drinking water sources, crops grown on floodplain soils, livestock grazing near polluted rivers or fish caught for consumption \u2014 potentially posing threats to human health and food security.<\/p>\n<p>Those legacy impacts extend to Tasmania\u2019s native freshwater fish. Galaxiids (small, migratory species sometimes known as jollytails or whitebait) play a key role in Tasmanian river food webs, feeding on aquatic insects and supporting larger fish and wildlife. Because they live close to the riverbed and feed on invertebrates, galaxiids are particularly exposed to metals accumulating in sediments.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcceew.gov.au\/sites\/default\/files\/env\/resources\/adbd8065-a57a-4f29-a151-ae5edea65496\/files\/ssr118-chapters-1-3.pdf\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Surveys <\/a> of the Queen-King river system show that fish are largely absent from the contaminated reaches of the lower King River, with populations persisting mainly in cleaner tributaries.<\/p>\n<p>For scientists and health officials, the public health concern is less about acute poisoning than it is about long-term exposure pathways and whether dissolved toxic metals moving through aquatic food webs could eventually reach people who rely on these rivers for recreation, fishing or food.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRisks to humans are relatively low compared to risks to the environment,\u201d Missen says.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, western Tasmania has become one of the most intensively studied mining-impacted river systems in Australia. For decades, scientists, government agencies and local groups have monitored the Queen-King catchment, documenting acid mine drainage, metal contamination and the long ecological legacy of the Mount Lyell copper mine.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317662\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_682_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317662\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_682_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"The Tamar Estuary in northern Tasmania, an important waterway supporting communities, agriculture and estuarine ecosystems. Environmental concerns on the river focus on heavy metal contamination in sediments from historical mining runoff. Image by Stefan Lovgren.\" width=\"1536\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753104_682_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164438\/8-Tamar-river-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164438\/8-Tamar-river-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164438\/8-Tamar-river-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164438\/8-Tamar-river-610x407.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Tamar Estuary in northern Tasmania, an important waterway supporting communities, agriculture and estuarine ecosystems. Environmental concerns on the river focus on heavy metal contamination in sediments from historical mining runoff. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The roughly 2,800-km<sup>2<\/sup> (1,100-mi<sup>2<\/sup>) watershed has increasingly served as a testing ground for mitigation. Efforts to stabilize waste rock, manage tailings and monitor river health have expanded, while researchers and students regularly sample water, sediments and aquatic life to track signs of recovery. Long-term studies are helping scientists understand how mining pollution spreads through river systems and what restoration measures may help ecosystems rebound.<\/p>\n<p>But no amount of studies will solve the probem , the damage done is widespread and restoration will be costly, and it won\u2019t come without binding government regulation.<\/p>\n<p>When the Mount Lyell mine ceased operation in the 1990s, a parliamentary act allowed contaminated water from historic workings and waste rock to continue flowing into the river system. Today, more than a century after copper mining began above Queenstown, acid mine drainage continues to enter the Queen River and the watershed remains one of more than 100 contaminated mining locations across Tasmania.<\/p>\n<p>Tasmania has introduced laws to manage legacy mining pollution, including the 2003 Mt Lyell Acid Drainage Reduction Act, which enabled remediation and regulated ongoing discharges from historic workings. But acid mine drainage still enters the Queen River, and a 2025 repeal bill reflects efforts to update how the site is managed in the long term.<\/p>\n<p>Recovery is further complicated by the island\u2019s climate. Western Tasmania receives some of the heaviest rainfall in Australia, and intense storms can flush contaminated sediments from riverbeds and floodplains downstream. Climate change, with its increasingly common extreme precipitation events, is likely to exacerbate the problem.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317659\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753105_15_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317659\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753105_15_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg\" alt=\"An active mining site in Tasmania. The mining industry has long shaped the island\u2019s economy and environment, especially its waterways, and mineral extraction continues to impact them today. Image by Stefan Lovgren.\" width=\"1470\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776753105_15_In-Tasmania-the-mines-have-closed-but-the-rivers-remember.jpg 1470w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164420\/5-Mining-operation-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164420\/5-Mining-operation-1200x836.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/imgs.mongabay.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/16164420\/5-Mining-operation-610x425.jpg 610w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1470px) 100vw, 1470px\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An active mining site in Tasmania. The mining industry has long shaped the island\u2019s economy and environment, especially its waterways, and mineral extraction continues to impact them today. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cFor communities along Tasmania\u2019s mining rivers, the question is no longer simply what happened in the past, but what recovery might look like,\u201d Missen says.<\/p>\n<p>The lessons taught here, but often not learned, extend beyond Tasmania\u2019s historically polluted rivers. The extraction and industrial processes killing its streams are affecting past and present mining regions the world over, with the lust for gold now supplemented by the hunger to extract rare metals to power <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2024\/05\/green-credentials-of-electric-vehicles-come-under-fire\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">electric vehicles<\/a> and to make semiconductors for <a href=\"https:\/\/news.mongabay.com\/2025\/11\/ai-data-center-revolution-sucks-up-worlds-energy-water-materials\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">AI data centers<\/a>. As high tech advances, it threatens to ecologically impoverish landscapes on every continent and endanger human health for centuries.<\/p>\n<p>As Macklin notes, \u201cMost mining-related metals are transported and stored in river sediments,\u201d allowing pollution to persist long after mines close. In an era of renewed demand for critical minerals, Tasmania\u2019s rivers offer a reminder that even streams that appear wild and resilient can carry a long environmental memory of industrial harm.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Stefan Lovgren<\/strong> writes about freshwater issues globally and was awarded the Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship for a reporting project on mining impacts on rivers worldwide. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Banner image:<\/strong> The King River enters Macquarie Harbour, where decades of mining have contributed to contaminated sediment buildup at the river\u2019s delta. Image by Stefan Lovgren.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Citations:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Macklin, M.G., Thomas, C.J., Mudbhatkal, A., Brewer, P.A., Hudson-Edwards, K.A., Lewin, J., et al. 2023. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/science.adg6704\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Impacts of metal mining on river systems: a global assessment<\/a>. <em>Science<\/em>, 381(6664): 1345\u20131350. doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/science.adg6704\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">10.1126\/science.adg6704<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kemp, D., Loginova, J., Lechner, A. M., Ang, M. L., Kuswati, R. A., Saputra, M. R., \u2026 Owen, J. R. (2026). The rise of Brownfield mining is reshaping global mineral supply and intensifying social and environmental risk. <em>One Earth<\/em>, <em>9<\/em>(2), 101563. doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/one-earth\/fulltext\/S2590-3322(25)00389-6\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">10.1016\/j.oneear.2025.101563<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Barbarossa, V., Schipper, A.M., Andringa, I., van Oorschot, M., Sonter, L.J., Marques, A. 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/con4.70000\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">The many pathways of mining impacts on biodiversity<\/a>. <em>Conservation Letters<\/em>, 19(1): e70000. doi:<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/con4.70000\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">10.1111\/con4.70000<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>FEEDBACK: <a href=\"https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/70284580836159\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"external\">Use this form<\/a> to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.<\/b><\/p>\n<div id=\"single-article-footer\">\n<div class=\"container in-column about-editor-translator gap--40 pv--80\">\n<div class=\"container grid--3 repeat gap--40\">\n<div class=\"in-row gap--16\">\n<div class=\"author-avatar\">\n                    <img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Nations-not-on-track-to-meet-UN-2030-pesticide-risk.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/975100c711ed9f4e4736fd7fa588cb07b44dc86ff3a043a9113559110473e565?s=64&#038;d=identicon&#038;r=g 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-32 photo\" height=\"32\" width=\"32\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/>        <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>                            <span class=\"article-comments\"><a href=\"\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"\/><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Legacy copper mining in Tasmania, carried out for more than 100 years, has left parts of the King River ecosystem severely degraded, with scientists describing sections as \u201cbiologically dead\u201d due to acid mine drainage and metal contamination. Globally, legacy mine waste has polluted hundreds of thousands of miles of rivers, exposing an estimated 23 million [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature-biodiversity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4140,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4138\/revisions\/4140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}