Latest news with #TriggMinerals
News.com.au
02-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Break it Down: Trigg takes in $12.5m strategic backing for North American antimony
Fraser Palamara talks Trigg Minerals and the strongly-backed placement which has put it on rails to near-term pilot mining of US antimony.
News.com.au
26-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Resources Top 5: Trigg has eyes fixed on US critical minerals initiatives
Steps are being taken to align Antimony Canyon with US national security and federal procurement priorities Brightstar has declared maiden reserves of 24,000oz for the Second Fortune and Fish underground mines Albion Resources has started RC drilling at the Yandal West gold project Your standout small cap resources stocks for Thursday, June 24, 2025 Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) One of a number of ASX-listed juniors with eyes firmly on the critical minerals domestic supply chain initiatives of US President Trump is Trigg Minerals and its Antimony Canyon project in Utah. The company is taking steps to align Antimony Canyon with US national security and federal procurement priorities and has launched initiatives aimed at achieving near-term pilot-scale antimony mining. This has resulted in added interest among investors with Trigg hitting a three-year high of 10.5c, an increase of 26.51% on the June 25 close, and closing at 9.8c. Reflecting the growing interest, more than 101m shares changed hands valued at almost $10 million. The increased US focus has been supported by the appointment of key US-based executives, including Ben Harris and Wiehann Kleynhans. Harris will serve as US Defense and Armaments advisor to support Trigg's strategy to become a secure, domestic supplier of antimony. With more than 35 years' experience in the US defence and government sectors, Harris will advise Trigg on strategic alignment with America's defence supply chains and procurement frameworks. Harris recently served as chief of staff for the Joint Program Executive Office Armaments and Ammunition, overseeing operations for a US$3 billion annual program, spanning procurement, R&D, testing and training for conventional ammunition and armaments. His prior appointment was as deputy for Project Director Joint Services, where he led government-operated ammunition infrastructure and demilitarisation programs across logistics, demilitarisation and singlepoint-of-failure mitigation. Harris will assist Trigg in engaging with US Department of Defense stakeholders, navigating defence procurement frameworks and supporting efforts to position Antimony Canyon as a critical domestic source of antimony for US defence applications. 'Ben's appointment is a major step forward for Trigg as we advance our strategic focus on becoming a key domestic supplier of antimony for US Defense and critical infrastructure,' managing director Andre Booyzen said 'His deep expertise in defence procurement, ammunition lifecycle management and federal coordination will be invaluable, and it aligns perfectly with our vision of delivering secure, conflict-free antimony to the US market.' This appointment follows that of highly experienced antimony downstream expert Wiehann Kleynhans as vice president, US downstream operations, to bolster TMG's antimony capabilities. Kleynhans will develop a strategy for North America, which will include options for downstream processing, form partnerships with key industry and government players in North America as well as identify and negotiate possible offtake agreements with international antimony traders. He will also assist the company with obtaining US government funding for exploration and development while assisting with due diligence on future antimony projects. These appointments follow the start of exploration and early-stage development at Antimony Canyon, which hosts the largest and highest-grade antimony deposit in the US. They also build on Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) recent engagement with US federal funding pathways as it aims to advance studies for near-term antimony extraction. Widespread antimony mineralisation was recently confirmed in areas previously untested by historical resource work while TMG also confirmed that mineralisation occurs throughout the vertical profile of the Flagstaff Formation, increasing the potential scale of the tenure. Brightstar Resources (ASX:BTR) Declaration of ore reserves is a key step toward development for a resources company as it represents ore that can be mined as opposed to resources which need further exploration, drilling and assessment to increase confidence. Brightstar Resources' maiden reserves of 24,000oz for the Second Fortune and Fish underground mines provides further gold to underpin the Laverton Hub ore purchase agreement with Genesis Minerals during FY2026. The establishment of maiden reserves of 52,000t grading 3.36g/t gold for 6000oz at Second Fortune and 175,000t at 3.23g/t for 18,000oz at Fish follows a recent upgrade to resources for both mines and saw BTR shares as much as 7.45% higher to 50.5c before closing at 49c. Second Fortune has a resource of 40,000oz at 13.4g/t while Fish has a resource of 49,000oz at 4g/t. Higher confidence measured and indicated resources make up a tidy 68% of the material at both mines. This contributes to Brightstar Resources' (ASX:BTR) belief that there is significant potential to increase ore reserves and mine life at the two mines by carrying out more surface and underground drilling, which is due to start imminently. Under the Laverton agreement, the company can deliver, sell and process up to 500,000t of ore to Genesis Minerals' (ASX:GMD) Laverton mill over 2025 and Q1 2026. Mining is continuing at Second Fortune and Fish with first ore from Fish expected within the next week to generate significant revenue in the September 2025 quarter. Managing director Alex Rovira said the maiden ore reserves for the two mines underpinned the FY2026 production target under the ore purchase agreement. 'It's important to note that these two ore bodies are open at depth and along strike, and to date have lacked deeper drilling to convert known mineralised intercepts into mineral resources and potential ore reserves,' he added. 'Second Fortune has operated consistently over four years, highlighting the reliability of the gold mineralisation which shows continuity at depth with wide-spaced drilling.' Besides the imminent start of drilling at Second Fortune and Fish as well as the start of ore mining at Fish, BTR also expects a material increase in overall group ore reserves shortly. This will be accompanied by the finalisation and release of a definitive feasibility study which outlines the development and expansion of Brightstar's production across the Menzies and Laverton hubs. Albion Resources (ASX:ALB) The start of RC drilling at the Yandal West gold project in WA's highly prospective Yandal Greenstone Belt has seen Albion Resources post a 7.55% increase to 5.7c. A program of 3000-4000m is targeting high-priority targets and will be followed by an aircore drilling program next month targeting the Barwidgee Fault, a major regional structure with limited previous drilling but strong gold potential. RC drilling targets include historical gold workings at Collavilla, which previously returned up to 3m at 52.38g/t gold and 7m at 7.4g/t. Drilling will also target Collavilla East, Barwidgee Central and Collavilla West – which contain some strong chargeability anomalies and visible quartz veins. Yandal West is just up the road from Northern Star Resources' (ASX:NST) Bronzewing gold mine and the Jundee gold mine, in a multi-million ounce district producing around 300,000oz per annum. The Bronzewing project was sold by Strickland Metals to Northern Star, providing feed for its processing plant. Albion is targeting a similar future, confident that being close to mills offers some value for small-scale deposits. That's not to say a large discovery isn't on the cards with the company pointing out that the Yandal West project remains relatively underexplored despite its prime position. Locksley Resources (ASX:LKY) Another company growing its position in the US is Locksley Resources, which in its latest move has completed its listing on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol LKYRF. This listing will enable Locksley to broaden its exposure to North American investors, providing enhanced access to a deeper pool of capital and aligning the company more closely with its flagship Mojave Project in California. Locksley, which retains its listing on the ASX with the ticker LKY, reached a daily high of 8.9c, a lift of 53.45% on the previous close, before ending the trading day at 8.8c. The OTCQB listing is part of a broader strategy to advance Locksley's critical minerals focus within a US jurisdiction which is increasingly prioritising domestic rare earth and antimony supply chains. This platform offers improved liquidity and transparency for US-based investors and allows Locksley shares to be traded in US dollars during US market hours. This milestone coincides with accelerating engagement in the US around downstream processing, strategic partnerships and funding pathways tied to critical mineral development. "The successful listing on the OTCQB represents a major step forward in our US engagement strategy,' Locksley Resources chairman Nathan Lude said. 'With our Mojave Project located in California and aligned with US critical minerals priorities, this listing allows us to broaden our investor base and improve visibility in a market where our assets hold strategic relevance. 'We look forward to building relationships with US institutional and retail investors while continuing to deliver progress on the ground." Superior Resources (ASX:SPQ) (Up on no news) Brisbane-based Superior Resources is focusing its efforts on its home state of Queensland with projects in the state's Greenvale Ordovician porphyry belt and nickel-copper-PGE province in the north and the Carpentaria Zinc Province in the northwest. Most work is being carried out on the Steam Engine gold project within the Greenvale project around 210km west-northwest of Townsville. Activities have focused on expediting the Steam Engine regulatory and mining study pathways to achieve production within two years. The company continues to progress a feasibility study on Steam Engine, which has a mineral resource of 196,000oz at 1.5 g/t gold, with the study based on a toll treatment operation. This resource is being revised and updated with assay results from 31 RC holes for a total of 2,218m completed in the March quarter expected to be included. New zones of gold mineralisation were identified at the northern ends of the Steam Engine and Eastern Ridge lodes while a maiden drilling program at Windmill East, 2.5km south of the Eastern Ridge Lode, identified high-grade gold lode mineralisation. Further drilling is planned to test highly anomalous features resembling previously unknown gold lodes, including a potential extension of the main Steam Engine Lode. Although it has had no recent news, the company was 66.67% higher at 0.5c.
News.com.au
16-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Resources Top 5: Magmatic adds western gold arm to Aussie portfolio
Magmatic will pay $50,000 cash and 36 million shares for the Weebo gold project The commercial potential of the Ema rare earths project in Brazil has been enhanced by test results Investors have welcomed two positive recent announcements from Trigg Minerals Your standout resources stocks for Monday, June 16, 2025. Magmatic Resources (ASX:MAG) With gold trending toward the record high of US$3500/oz set in April, having reached $3452 in the past 24 hours aided by escalating tensions in the Middle East, any positive moves by ASX-listed gold players are welcomed by investors. One to benefit is Magmatic Resources (ASX:MAG) which has identified an inexpensive entry-point to stake its claim in one of WA's hottest gold regions with the acquisition of the Weebo gold project. This adds a west coast arm to the company's Australian operations and complements its potential Tier-1 gold and copper prospects in the Lachlan Fold Belt of New South Wales. The deal will see Magmatic pay $50,000 cash and 36 million shares, valued at around $1.47m, with a further 14m shares contingent on milestones for 136km2 of ground at Weebo. This project covers a 50km north-south strike wedged between five of WA's largest gold mines, including Bellevue Gold's (ASX:BGL) namesake operation, Vault Minerals' (ASX:VAU) Darlot, Northern Star's (ASX:NST) Thunderbox and Bronzewing, and Gold Fields' Agnew-Lawlers. That's more than 15Moz of gold resources or historic production surrounding a vast underexplored tract of WA's Northern Goldfields. 'The company is extremely pleased to add to its portfolio of projects with this exciting new gold property superbly located in the heart of WA's Yilgarn Goldfields,' MD David Richardson said. 'The prospectivity of this area is highlighted by the proximity to five large gold mines and we believe the project area is underexplored, offering a great opportunity for new discoveries. 'We have already put a local exploration team in place and expect to commence exploration drilling in the coming quarter.' With heritage clearances in place, drilling is being planned to begin next quarter and there are already significant results to follow up, having been drilled by fellow ASX explorer Midas Minerals (ASX:MM1) when it had an option over the ground in 2021 and 2022. They include the Ockerburry and Scone Stone prospects, the former a mineralised structure defined by drilling over at least 5km. At Scone Stone, drilling outlined an 800m-long northeast trend of potential intrusive origin, wedged between an ultramafic unit to the west and mafic unit to the east. Mineralisation like that has been closely watched in WA since De Grey Mining's discovery of the Hemi gold deposit in the Pilbara in 2020. First-pass drilling is also 'warranted' for the Otto prospect, where lower grade gold has been found in limited wide-spaced drilling around an aero-magnetic target 5.5km north of Northern Star's Otto Bore mine. Over in NSW, Magmatic has strong strategic backing, with Andrew Forrest's Fortescue its major shareholder and farm-in partner on the Myall project in the Lachlan Fold Belt. Work in the East Lachlan Fold Belt is continuing as MAG adds another string to its bow at Weebo. 'Our four projects give shareholders exposure to both the gold and copper markets, with two potential Tier 1 gold-copper projects and now, two near-surface gold projects in the heart of two of Australia's most well endowed mining regions,' Richardson added. Brazilian Critical Minerals (ASX:BCM) The commercial potential of the Ema rare earths project in Brazil has been further enhanced by testing with Brazilian Critical Minerals recording the tracer reagent magnesium sulphate in multiple extraction holes. This work forms part of an in-situ recovery trial and shows the potential value of using the chemical, a much more environmentally friendly alternative to ammonium sulphate, for leaching rare earths. The tests showed that magnesium sulphate had migrated from the injection holes to the extraction holes in the field trial locations. Encouragingly, pH levels were also reduced significantly to at or below pH 4.0 in the extraction solution with the addition of low concentration magnesium sulphate. Not only is the solution at the pH level required to leach REEs into solution via in-situ recovery, solution flows through the clay zones also continue to exceed laboratory estimates with injection and extraction wells showing a steady rise in solution levels over time indicating the basement rock is largely impermeable. Solutions containing REEs have now been extracted from the monitoring holes and are enroute to the laboratory for certified analysis. The testing success reported on June 13 has seen shares climb 40% to 1.4c before closing 20% higher at 1.2c. 'Over the past 10 days, we've successfully applied the same testing protocols to the Ema mineralisation that delivered exceptional laboratory results throughout 2024 and early 2025,' managing director Andrew Reid said. 'Encouragingly, the pilot field trial has confirmed that permeability rates are not only consistent with lab data but, in many cases, even better. 'In recent days, we've also achieved a significant technical milestone — lowering the in-situ pH to levels that demonstrate clear migration of magnesium sulphate through the clay layers to the extraction wells. 'This is a critical step, as it indicates rare earth elements are now at a stage where they can be effectively ionically leached into solution.' He added that the WSP Brazil controlled and supervised independent field trial had further validated the company's confidence in the simplicity and effectiveness of the ISR process. Ema hosts one of the world's largest ionic clay rare earth deposits with a resource of 943Mt at 716 parts per million total rare earth oxides. It includes a starter zone of 341Mt with high-value magnet rare earths, used to make permanent magnets for advanced technology like electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and particle accelerators. Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) (Up on no news) A number of ASX-listed companies are seeking to take advantage of positive sentiment toward critical minerals in the US, including Trigg Minerals, which has reached 8.5c, an increase of 14.9% on the previous close. Investors welcomed two positive announcements from the company last week centred on the Antimony Canyon project in the US. Firstly, the company confirmed multiple zones of massive stibnite mineralisation at the Utah project with initial field mapping pointing to several zones of massive stibnite mineralisation at the Emma and Mammoth deposits. The results highlight the project's potential as one of the highest grade and significant antimony projects in the US and bode well for Trigg as it pursues its strategy to become a key domestic supplier of critical minerals. Antimony is considered a critical mineral by the US government due to its military and industrial applications. It's used in missiles, flame retardants, renewable energy, defence and other high-tech industries. Later in the week, Antimony metallurgist David Fourie joined the Trigg Minerals (ASX:TMG) team as a technical advisor for its net zero antimony strategy, centred on Antimony Canyon. Fourie played a central role in the design and ESG elements of the first 'clean plant' antimony smelter built by SPMP to European environmental standards in Oman. SPMP is the largest antimony roaster outside of China, set to produce 20,000 tonnes of antimony products a year once the smelter reaches full capacity. Resolution Minerals (ASX:RML) Another increasing its focus on the US in line with that country's push to establish a domestic critical minerals supply chain, Resolute Minerals hit a new 12-month high of 5c, climbing 43% on the previous close on volume of more than 131m. The latest move to reach a massive investor base in the US sees the company's intended listing on the OTCQB Markets nearing completion. Resolution expects to increase its visibility, liquidity and accessibility for North American investors and hopes to stoke the interest of an investor base similar to NASDAQ-listed Perpetua Resources. Perpetua's ~A$2 billion Stibnite antimony-gold project with a resource of 4.8Moz gold and 148Mlb antimony shares its western boundary with RML's newly acquired Horse Heaven antimony-gold-tungsten project in Valley County, Idaho. Resolution Minerals (ASX:RML) also expects the dual listing will provide a stronger US presence for potential US Department of Defense funding as antimony is classified as a critical mineral, potential fast-tracking of Horse Heaven and a stepping stone to a potential NASDAQ listing. 'Listing on the OTCQB Market is a strategic move that aligns with our vision of becoming a globally recognised developer of what we believe will become a major antimony, gold and tungsten deposit in the United States,' executive director Aharon Zaetz said. Kairos Minerals (ASX:KAI) (Up on no news) Simon Lill-led Kairos Minerals holds the 1.4Moz Mt York gold deposit, the largest undeveloped, free-milling gold project in the Tier-1 Pilbara region of WA with mineralisation defined over 3km within a large, single optimal pit shell. The company's experienced technical team is confident that the gold deposit, hosted in banded iron formation (BIF), will grow significantly now that Kairos has access to an additional 1,500m of well-mineralised strike extension of the Main Trend geology from neighbours Pilbara Minerals. The company reached a two-year high of 3.2c, an increase of 23.1%. Its had no formal news since May 23 BUT did get a write-up from our mining maestro Barry FitzGerald over the weekend. Check out his Garimpeiro column here. The Mt York resource base of 43.08Mt at 1.0 g/t gold includes a higher-grade component of 14.6Mt at 1.6 g/t for 751,000oz. Plans to make Mt York a super-pit project are underway. The discovery of spodumene-bearing pegmatites at Mt York coupled with a lithium-caesium-rubidium soil anomaly at the Roe Hills project near Manna lithium deposit in the Goldfields, offer further potential significant value drivers. Roe Hills, which is around 120km east of Kalgoorlie, holds rare earth element potential after exploration confirmed a discovery called Black Cat. There is also gold potential undercover at this discovery.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trigg Minerals Loses AU$10.0m Market Value But Insiders See Windfall Of AU$6.0m
Insiders who purchased Trigg Minerals Limited (ASX:TMG) shares in the past 12 months are unlikely to be deeply impacted by the stock's 12% decline over the past week. Even after accounting for the recent loss, the AU$700.1k worth of stock purchased by them is now worth AU$6.68m or in other words, their investment continues to give good returns. While we would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. Over the last year, we can see that the biggest insider purchase was by insider Yonglu Yu for AU$357k worth of shares, at about AU$0.007 per share. We do like to see buying, but this purchase was made at well below the current price of AU$0.082. While it does suggest insiders consider the stock undervalued at lower prices, this transaction doesn't tell us much about what they think of current prices. Over the last year, we can see that insiders have bought 81.51m shares worth AU$700k. But insiders sold 1.00m shares worth AU$11k. In the last twelve months there was more buying than selling by Trigg Minerals insiders. The average buy price was around AU$0.0086. To my mind it is good that insiders have invested their own money in the company. However, we do note that they were buying at significantly lower prices than today's share price. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! See our latest analysis for Trigg Minerals There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. Insiders own 21% of Trigg Minerals shares, worth about AU$16m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. There haven't been any insider transactions in the last three months -- that doesn't mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. Insiders own shares in Trigg Minerals and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For example, Trigg Minerals has 5 warning signs (and 3 which are significant) we think you should know about. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Push to reopen old mines in NSW in global race for critical minerals
Residents, local councils and environmental groups are calling for government intervention as exploration for the critical mineral antimony ramps up on the New South Wales north coast, citing concerns over the potential for contamination of the regional water supply. A swathe of exploration licences have been approved across the region in recent months, with one mining company, Trigg Minerals, establishing a 30-acre base at Wild Cattle Creek on the Dorrigo Plateau in preparation for drilling work. Antimony is a silvery, lustrous grey metalloid used in flame retardants, solar panels, alloys, batteries and military equipment. It's listed as a critical mineral by the US and the European Union. Australia has 7.7% of all global stores but makes up just 2% of all global production, according to Geoscience Australia. But locals on the Dorrigo Plateau are concerned about the risk of runoff from antimony exploration entering local waterways, particularly given the area's high rainfall and steep topography. Antimony levels above the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) were detected on two separate occasions at Shannon Creek Dam, a 30,000 megalitre water source for the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour regions, in March 2025. It followed torrential rain due to ex-tropical cyclone Alfred, which saw 1,000mm fall in seven days on an area which includes an old antimony mine site. With the exception of a period of exploratory drilling 15 years ago, the mine has not been active since the 1970s. The mayor of Clarence Valley council, Ray Smith, called on the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to provide a briefing to council on the risk of antimony projects in the vicinity of the water catchment. Trigg Minerals' managing director, Andre Booyzen, said the results were unrelated to his company's project. 'We haven't even started exploring; we are still working on getting access,' he said. Concerns have also been raised about the storage and transport of antimony samples, after a car and trailer crash on 22 April spilled antimony samples at Bielsdown Bridge in Dorrigo. The EPA confirmed that no debris from the crash entered waterways. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter Booyzen confirmed the incident but claimed there was 'no danger of anything getting polluted' as the antimony levels in the samples were 0.0001%. The Wild Cattle Creek area was mined on and off for antimony from 1890 until 1975, when falling prices forced the closure of the local industry. Trigg's Wild Cattle Creek project is 'probably the biggest undeveloped antimony resource in Australia, if not the world', Booyzen said. In a presentation to investors, delivered on YouTube, he said the deposit contained 1.5 million tonnes of mineral resource with an average grade of just below 2%. With prices skyrocketing from US$10,000 a tonne in 2023 to US$60,000 in May 2025, mining companies have their sights on the Dorrigo Plateau once more. Shelley Griffin lives next door to the land purchased by Trigg and has a disused mine site on her property. Anchor Resources, which sold the exploration licence for Wild Cattle Creek to Trigg in 2024, gained access to her land for exploratory drilling in 2009, despite her objections, and was later fined by the state government in 2012 for sub-standard remediation work. Samples from the drilling remain discarded on her property. She has been receiving letters and calls from Trigg since January but also plans to oppose its bid to access her land. 'When [Anchor] eventually left I thought this was the end, there is no more,' she said. 'Every year they haven't been on I have celebrated.' Also within the boundaries of Trigg's exploration licence is the Yammacoona Rural Co-operative, a 550-acre commune founded in 1980. Sign up to The Rural Network Subscribe to Calla Wahlquist's fortnightly update on Australian rural and regional affairs after newsletter promotion Founding member Simon Fraser said antimony mining was an 'existential threat' to the community. 'Aerial surveys have shown that there are significant deposits underneath Yammacoona,' he said. Gumbaynggirr elder Uncle Cecil Briggs, 86, said he was terrified of the prospect of mining in an area of special significance for his people. 'Mining is a destroyer of our country,' he said. 'It pollutes the water and it contaminates the air.' The ecologist Mark Graham, a former Coffs Harbour city councillor, said the steep terrain and extreme rainfall of the Dorrigo Plateau made the area particularly vulnerable to run-off from mining activities. 'There is no physical way to contain all runoff in such steep terrain and in extreme rainfall events so pollution of the drinking water catchment with antimony and other toxic elements such as arsenic is inevitable,' he said. Water test results provided to the local council by Anchor Resources in 2011 from creeks surrounding a historic mine site and contemporary exploration works at Wild Cattle Creek showed arsenic levels above ADWG levels at two sites, with four other sites showing high levels but not above Australian guidelines. Antimony was detected above ADWG levels at three sites. Booyzen said contamination risks can be effectively managed. 'There is always a danger of runoff from a mine, but you try to minimise the risk as much as you can through proper design, engineering and build quality,' he said. 'Even in huge rainfall events, the design of tailings dams, processing facilities etc means there is no release from the mine site at all.' Grassroots action group the Clarence Catchment Alliance has called for a permanent ban on all mineral mining activities in the catchment. 'The significant environmental, cultural and economic risks, including threats to water quality, biodiversity, endangered species, Indigenous cultural sites, water-based local industry and the health of local communities, demand urgent action,' coordinator Shae Fleming said. Fleming said flood zones and drinking water catchments should be 'clearly designated as no-go zones' for mining. A spokesperson for NSW Resources said the state has 'robust health and environmental regulations' to ensure community safety. The NSW natural resources minister, Courtney Houssos, declined to comment on the suitability of the Wild Cattle Creek project, but has previously expressed her vision for the state to become a 'leader in critical minerals exploration'. Douglas Connor is a journalist and editor on the NSW mid-north coast Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
