Coal mining has clearly been shown to wreck underground and above ground water supplies  which are an integral part of any community’s lifeblood. Coal mining uses huge amounts of water to wash the coal free of ‘nasty contaminants’ and the resulting ‘acid mine drainage’ (AMD) is highly poisonous to the environment. Good water turned into very bad. Our government’s own report into AMD  show how badly this now heavily-polluted waste water is managed and how ineffective clean up technologies are.

There are over 40 groups in NSW campaigning against the damage that coal mining and especially long walling causes to our water systems. RiversSOS, an umbrella organisation, representing 40+ coal-affected communities in NSW, has made several films on the devastation. The first film, Rivers of Shame, can be viewed for free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VGyMvBoO2I The second film, Rivers of Shame II, will be shown to our community soon, all part of the SOS Liverpool Plains awareness campaign. You can read a review here.

Another news report, graphically illustrates the massive cracking and loss of water at Woronora Dam and the Waratah Rivulet down South. Will we allow BHP to wreck our aquifers, rivers and streams too? 

We all know who will get the profits, but who will bear the costs?