Radioactive waste has been a problem at Rum Jungle ever since the Federal government opened the uranium mine in 1953. Contaminated mine water collected in the Dry, only to wash into the river in the Wet. Tailings from the uranium mine were allowed to erode into the East Finniss for nearly thirty years.

When the mine was abandoned in 1971, no significant rehabilitation was carried out. It wasn’t until as late as 1983 that the Commonwealth finally addressed some of the major contamination sources. Then in 1991, further work was undertaken to reduce pollution at Rum Jungle Creek South, which had become a popular croc-free lake. Despite these attempts at cleaning up, contamination sources have yet to be adequately contained.

For an overview of the regrettable history of mining at Rum Jungle, refer to the SEA-US website :
www.sea-us.org.au/oldmines/rumjungle.html