The Nyrstar Hobart zinc works is located on the banks of the picturesque Derwent Estuary in southern Tasmania. This waterway is integral to the lifestyle of Hobart and is used both recreationally and commercially.
Powerful Partnership Helps Hobart’s Iconic River
However, the estuary is heavily degraded due to urbanisation and industrial discharges. Nyrstar acknowledges that more than 90 years of zinc production at the Hobart site have contributed to the degradation of this important waterway and we are an active partner in an initiative to improve the health of the estuary, the Derwent Estuary Program (DEP).
Derwent Estuary Program
The Derwent Estuary Program (DEP) was established in 1999 as a partnership between state and local government and industry partners to provide a collaborative, strategic focus for the restoration and protection of the Derwent Estuary. Nyrstar has a strong involvement in the program. We are responsible for monitoring the middle estuary and estuarine species, and we also provide technical and financial support.
The success of the DEP can be measured by the subsequent improvement in water quality and an increase in species diversity, including the recovery of some threatened species and habitats.
Commitment to Improve
Contaminated groundwater from the zinc works site is a major current source of metal in the Derwent. The zinc works has installed five groundwater interception systems to recover and treat contaminated groundwater. These groundwater extraction systems recover 56 tonnes of metal each year that would otherwise be discharged into the estuary over time. The groundwater remediation program will be extended in 2008.
In 2007, the site completed the latest in a number of stormwater retention ponds, that collect and treat surface water on-site to prevent surface contaminants discharging directly into the estuary. The A$2m pond can contain 12 megalitres of stormwater and utilises an innovative bio-treatment system to purify the water.
For more information on the Derwent Estuary Program visit www.derwentestuary.org.au.
