Mining Companies Hide Threat to Sydney's Water Supply

Thursday, 23 September 2010 10:05

A confidential document released today by Total Environment Centre revealing two mining companies had conspired to hide controversial gas drilling from an environmental assessment of longwall mining under Sydney’s water catchment, is a scandal.

“Serious questions also have to be asked of the Department of Planning who accommodated the miners without any consideration of whether the public deserved to know about the full ambit of the coal and gas mining scheme under the catchment,” said Jeff Angel, Executive Director of Total Environment Centre.

The discussion paper on Apex Energy’s joint venture with Peabody Energy states that both companies want Peabody’s name to be hidden from the operation given the damage already done to the catchment by coal mining “lest it attract unnecessary attention and further aggravation”.

In 2006 it was discovered that Metropolitan Mine had tilted the Waratah Rivulet’s feeder swamp and drained the Rivulet for 2km of its length. The flow from the Rivulet into Woronora Dam provides the northern Illawarra and Sutherland Shire with 30% of their water supply.  The company was seeking a 30 year extension for the mine.

“It’s nearly five years since longwall mining destroyed the riverbed of Waratah Rivulet and there is still an army of workers down there in a vain attempt to patch it up.”

“Now we learn the damage to the catchment could be magnified by gas drilling using what the miners call "whatever means", which will cause serious pollution,” Mr Angel said.

“Peabody should be more concerned with avoiding more damage to an extremely important watercourse, upland swamps and the Woronora Dam. Not with gaining a share of the profits from a gas operation that they’re not willing to put their name to.  And the Department of Planning should protect the public and the environment by insisting on full and comprehensive environmental assessment, not just listen to the miners. ”