Protect Sydney’s Water Catchments from coal mining: 4Nature Vs Centennial Coal Court Case
What: Rally at 4Nature Vs Centennial Coal Court Case to protect Sydney's drinking water catchments from coal
When: 4pm Tuesday 13 September
Where: The Land and Environment Court of NSW
225 Macquarie Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Why is this court case so significant?
This is the first case to test laws passed in 2009 that were introduced to protect Sydney’s drinking water catchment.
The Springvale mine court judgement will be handed down on Tue at 4pm (Tue 13 Sep). The judge will deliver the verdict in court and make available the written judgement at the same time.
4nature is taking the owners of the mine (Centennial Springvale Pty Limited and Springvale SK Kores Pty Limited) and the Minister for Planning to the NSW Land and Environment Court in a challenge to the approval.
This approval is an extension to the Springvale coal mine underneath the Newnes State Forest in the Blue Mountains.
The approval will allow the mine operator – Centennial Coal – to extract 4.5 million tonnes of coal per year for a further 13 years and discharge large amounts of mine water into the river system that forms part of Sydney’s drinking water catchment.
The Springvale mine will discharge millions of litres of highly saline mine water every day into the Coxs River, which flows into Lake Burragorang – Sydney’s major drinking water reservoir. Water discharged from the mine also contains nitrates, phosphates, zinc, nickel and other contaminants.
SMH article from 11/09/16
'Very significant damage' doesn't deter coal mine expansion in Sydney catchment
Sydney is one of the few major cities to allow mining in its water catchment. The Springvale mine alone has to pump as much as 23 megalitres of water a day, most of it ending up in the Coxs River, which then flows into Warragamba Dam.
More info: [email protected]
