Another area fighting hard to prevent pollution of their pristine water supplies is Duralie near Gloucester.  After sustained community pressure, Duralie Coal has withdrawn its application to discharge waste mining water into the pristine Mammy Johnsons River, or to irrigate farming land outside its mining lease with it, where run-off flows directly into this river catchment.

This is a classic example of how easily license conditions can be modified and changed once a mining license has been granted, and how quickly political promises that there would be ‘no discharge allowed’ can be forgotten.   

However, it’s also a win for community action and a very positive step by the NSW Department of Planning, clearly now placing a higher priority on this State’s precious water supplies.