Burnside Operations Pty Ltd plan to commence mining at the North Point and Princess Louise mine sites, located in the East Burnside Project Area approximately 130km south-east of Darwin. The mining method will be open cut, with ore to be transported to Union Reefs Gold Mine for processing. Workers are to be housed at the mine camp at Cosmo Village. Mine sites have the potential to create or exacerbate mosquito breeding, potentially from the creation of water dams, wetland filters, borrow pits, sediment traps, dry season water discharge, waste water disposal, as well as the construction of roads and mine waste dumps. Mine sites also have the potential to introduce new mosquito species into the Northern Territory, such as the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti from North Queensland, if equipment was to be sourced from this area. As part of the environmental process, all major development in the NT is required to consider mosquitoes during the preparation of Environmental Impact Statements or Public Environmental reports, to ensure new development does not create new mosquito breeding sites, and also to protect the health of workers.

There are many examples of development in the Darwin region that have led to enormous populations of a range of mosquito species, severely effecting residents in nearby areas and requiring costly rectification. To aid planners in their design of the proposed Newton development, the Medical Entomology section of the department of Health and Families has made collections of biting midges and mosquitoes form march 1984 to April 1985 in and around the proposed development area between the Elizabeth and Blackmore Rivers, south-west of Palmerston. Additional surveys of biting midge breeding areas were made in late 1987. This report analyses the result and suggest methods of minimising the adverse effects of the biting insect present in the proposed development area, and outlines some construction guidelines to avoid exacerbating the problem.

The Northern Territory Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) propose to expand the area around East Arm Port for port related infrastructure (Notice of Intent June 2009). The East Arm Port Area contains numerous mosquito breeding sites created by the original development, The East Arm area is also subject to very high seasonal biting midge pest problems, caused by the mangrove biting midge Culicoides ornatus. All mosquito breeding sites created by past development should be rectified during the expansion project. If possible, more of the upper tidal tributaries of Bleesers Creek should be removed as part of the current proposed development to reduce biting midge problems.