Phase Two of remediation works at the Gortmore Tailings Management Facility, Silvermines, in Co Tipperary, has got underway, with the contract being undertaken by Cork-based SIAC Construction Ltd.

Natural Resources Minister Conor Lenihan formally launched the project at the Gortmore site along with representatives of North Tipperary County Council, the project design consultants SRK Consulting, the contractors and representatives of the Silvermines area communities.

The Minister said that the works were the first of their kind in Ireland.

Lauding North Tipperary County Council and SRK Consulting on their roles in bringing the project to this stage, he said: "Phase One of the remediation works have been completed in 2008 on time and within budget and that I have every confidence that Phase Two will mirror that success."

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The Gortmore site was used for the deposition of mine tailings, a residue from the lead and zinc mining carried out in the Silvermines area from the mid-1960s until 1982.

Since it, and other mining sites in the area, have been the subject of studies and reports in relation to any possible potential threat to the environment and the local community.

In 2005 the Government decided that the State would undertake the remediation of the former mining sites in the area with North Tipperary County Council acting as agents for the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

The Phase I Contract was completed in December 2008. The Phase 2 Contract will be substantially completed by the end of 2009 with final soil placement and grass seeding in early 2010, according to the Government.

Minister Lenihan added: "A cooperative relationship has been developed with the local communities in progressing the remediation project to its current stage," and he further confirmed: "The Government is committed to working with the community in addressing the environmental problems associated with the long history of mining in the area."

(PR/JM)