The Brukunga Mine site is located 4 km north of Nairne, and 40 km east of Adelaide in the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia. Iron sulfide minerals (pyrite and pyrrhotite) were mined by open pit methods between 1955 and 1972 to supply feedstock for sulfuric acid production in the South Australian fertilizer industry.

  • Approximately 6.5Mt of waste rock and 4Mt of tailings were produced during operation of the Brukunga mine
  • The oxidation of the waste material in the waste rock dumps (WRDs) and
  • Tailings dam has resulted in acidic drainage (pH <3) as seepage and runoff, which contains elevated concentrations of sulfate and dissolved metals

This phenomenon is commonly referred to in the mining industry as acid and metalliferous drainage (AMD). AMD is widely recognised by the minerals industry as the greatest environmental legacy of mining and mineral processing. The South Australian (SA) Government took responsibility for the site commencing in 1977. A low-density sludge lime-based water treatment plant (WTP) was commissioned in September 1980 to treat the acid drainage and improve water quality in Dawesley Creek.

The site has been managed by the SA Government (now Department for Energy and Mining) since 1998 after taking over from SA Water.

The SA Government agreed to a remediation program devised by PIRSA in 2001 involving:

  1. Diverting Dawesley Creek in an attempt to contain acid drainage on the Mine site
  2. Increasing the peak WTP capacity by 100%
  3. Decreasing generation of acidic seepage by relocating and blending the WRDs with limestone

The South Australian government has committed to $15.4 million over three years to construct a new acid drainage treatment plant at the Brukunga mine, allowing for the continued protection of the environment and waterways surrounding Lake Alexandrina.

More information

Brukunga Mine Site: Water monitoring report 2017 (PDF 8.5 MB)

More on water quality monitoring at Brukunga Mine Site

Introduction to Brukunga by the South Australian Museum

For inquiries relating to the Brukunga Mine Site please contact:

Email: DEM.MiningRegRehab@sa.gov.au

or address correspondence to:

Manager, Mining Compliance
Minerals Regulation Branch
GPO Box 618
ADELAIDE SA 5001

Brukunga postal address
PO Box 283
NAIRNE SA 5252