BHPB Coal Mining to Further Wreck Water Supply Catchment

Thursday, 24 January 2008 10:00

A proposal by BHP Billiton to massively expand the Dendrobium Mine between the Cordeaux and Avon Dams spells further disaster for the environment of the pristine Woronora Plateau and Sydney’s water supply catchment, Total Environment Centre said today.

BHPB will be using longwall mining, which in numerous cases has cracked rivers, causing them to drain, created pollution and starved key wetlands of water. The Dendrobium Area 3 proposal will undermine about thirty square kilometres of bushland in Sydney’s water supply catchment in an area containing rainforest and about twenty rare upland swamps.

“This is a massive and highly intensive expansion of longwall mining in the Southern Coalfield. It is certain to impact heavily on the environment and the water supply catchment,” said TEC spokesperson David Burgess.

“We have already seen significant damage occur as a result of mining in Dendrobium Areas 1 and 2, including large surface cracks and cliff falls. New longwalls would undermine about twenty upland swamps and although BHP Billiton has avoided mining immediately under Wongawilli Creek, the longwall panels are still close enough to crack the riverbed.

“Upland swamps are known to play a vital role of regulating flow of water at the top of catchments across the Woronora Plateau. Previously undermined swamps have drained and BHP Billiton, who spruik their ability to repair this damage, admitted to the recent Southern Coalfield Inquiry that they knew of no ways to remediate a damaged swamp,” Mr Burgess said.

A recent report by the Department of Environment and Conservation stated that over twenty animal species, primarily inhabiting upland swamps, are under threat by longwall coal mining. In addition, the Sydney Catchment Authority has stated that longwall coal mining will undermine 91% of Sydney’s southern supply catchment. The Dam Safety Committee has also asked BHP Billiton to report on a major underground flooding incident at the Dendrobium Mine that coincided with the major rainfall events of last June.

“Only last week, BHP Billiton admitted that mining has recently cracked the riverbed of the Nepean River. The Dendrobium proposal is outrageous. This damage must be prevented rather than predicted with ineffective follow-up remediation attempts. We call on Premier Morris Iemma to rein in this industry and his rogue Mining Department that endorses it,” Mr Burgess concluded.