Polluted river
View of the Queen River running through the mining town of Queenstown, Tasmania. Mining and smelting copper, silver and gold has stripped the surrounding hills of their once-dense forest cover and caused massive runoff whilst producing massive amounts of toxic waste. This river was for over 80 years the main carrier of mining residue and local sewage. It is estimated that 100 million tonnes of tailings were disposed of by this means. The river is now cleaner than it was, but still runs a rusty red because of the runoff from the hills. An environmental disaster area.
Size: 5328px × 3543px
Location: Queenstown, Tasmania, Australia
Photo credit: © Alistair Scott / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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