31 January, 2013
Destructive mine expansion threatens prime farm land and alluvial aquifers
Nature Conservation Council of NSW Campaigns Director Kate Smolski will appear before the NSW Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) in Singleton today to argue that an application to extend an existing Coal & Allied mine be refused on environmental grounds.
The PAC is considering the company’s application to expand its Carrington Pit, north-west of Singleton, to extract 17 million tonnes of coal over a six-year period, destroying 137 hectares of farm land near the Hunter River.
“If approved, the Carrington West Wing development will reduce base flows into the Hunter River and lead to the loss of alluvial aquifers,” Ms Smolski said.
“Water models for this proposed mine extension have shown that it would divert up to 172 million litres a year from the Hunter River. That loss would be in addition to the massive impact on base flows already occurring through the existing Carrington Pit, the North Pit, Hunter Valley Operations South and the Ravensworth/Narama operations, which are all nearby.
“This project will also disturb fauna and flora habitat and leave yet another ugly void in the Hunter Valley landscape, which in some places now looks like a moonscape.”
Ms Smolski said the failure to assess the cumulative impacts of the numerous mines in the region was a significant shortcoming of the assessment process for this proposal and of the State Government’s planning system more generally.
“The Planning Department has failed to properly assess the cumulative impacts of this proposal, including the loss of base flows to the Hunter River and alluvial aquifer systems, the number of final voids in the landscape, loss of species habitat or the disturbance of prime agricultural land,” she said.
“It is of great concern that the Department of Planning and Infrastructure has failed to even acknowledge that this important aspect of the planning process has not been met. There is now a significant number of final voids in the Hunter Valley, and yet there has been no assessment of the cumulative impact of this proposal in relation to other approved voids that will become permanent highly saline water bodies in the landscape.
“The NCC believes that PAC should reject the Carrington West Wing application, and the State Government should ensure mechanisms for assessing cumulative impacts of such proposals are incorporated into the system during its current review of planning laws.”
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Coal and gas
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