Concern in the community is mounting after Unity Mining announced last week it would use cyanide to process gold on site at the Dargues gold mine at Majors Creek.
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The announcement comes after Unity Mining was fined for polluting the headwaters of Eurobodalla’s water supply on three occasions last year.
Residents declared their opposition to the proposal last week by graffitiing “no cyanide” at the entrance to the mine.
A new action group has also formed to co-ordinate opposition to the proposal.
A public meeting in Majors Creek last Tuesday night was attended by about 40 people, however many commented that it would have been overflowing if the actual proposal had been known earlier.
Many speakers voiced their lack of trust in the company after being promised repeatedly that no processing would be done on site; one resident calling it ‘development by stealth’.
Palerang mayor Pete Harrison said many residents, especially those dependent on water downstream of the site, felt betrayed.
“The simple fact is that, no matter how safe the processing might be, it comes with an element of risk-no processing, no associated risk,” he said.
“That there might be reduced truck movements to and from the site as a result is cold comfort to these people.”
The company plans to submit modifications to the Environ-
mental Assessment, the principal planning document, before Christmas which may cause the public consultation period to be held over the holiday period.
Unity Mining says it intends to hold public drop-in consultations in Braidwood and on the South Coast.