Sulphur Springs Zinc-Copper Project

Overview

Ventrex Resources Limited proposed to develop the existing Project utilising an open pit mine to extract the upper portion of the deposit and an underground mine to extract the lower portion. The modified Project consists of:

• An open pit to mine the upper portion of the orebody;
• An underground mine (accessed via a portal within the pit) to mine the remainder of the orebody;
• A conventional processing plant which will produce separate copper and zinc concentrations;
• A conventional ‘valley fill’ Tailings Storage Facility with a combined High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and compacted low permeability sub-base liner;
• A heap leach facility within the same footprint as the ultimate TSF for recovery of copper from supergene and oxide ores;
• A Waste Rock dump;
• Supporting infrastructure;
• A disturbance footprint of 322 hectares.

The project is located approximately 144 kilometres southeast of Port Hedland and 57 km west of Marble Bar in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia

Why your views matter

At this initial stage of the EIA process, comment is simply sought on whether or not the EPA should assess a proposal and, if so, what level of assessment is considered appropriate.

What happens next

Following the seven day public comment period and consideration of any comments received, the EPA will decide whether or not this proposal requires environmental impact assessment and, if so, what level of assessment will be applied.

The EPA's decisions on level of assessment are released each Monday on the EPA's website.