Although Whitehaven refuted landholder’s claims that bores were being affected by the mining operations at Werris Creek, an independent assessment has found “it is likely that coal mining operations at WCC’s Werris Creek mine are contributing to the impacts currently being observed at landholders bores”.

UNSW Australia Water Research Laboratory (WRL) has reviewed available information and identified that Whitehaven Coal Company (WCC) has not undertaken the necessary hydrogeological field investigations, monitoring, analysis and modelling work to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that activity at Werris Creek mine has not significantly contributed to the rapid declines in groundwater levels within the aquifers about Quipolly Creek. The review found that Whitehaven’s arguments and assumptions in claiming that drought, landholder water use and Quipolly Dam upgrades were solely responsible for bores drying up “are not supported by logical reasoning and/or evidence”.

The draw down predicted in the … Read More »

NSW Office of Planning have contacted CCAG regarding proposed meetings in the area next week.
They are spending the day touring the proposed Shenhua site, the offsite areas and other projects in the region.

An Environmental Consultant has been employed by the Caroona Coal Action Group to review Shenhua’s EIS and prepare a submission for our Group. Personal submissions are also essential in ensuring the communities concerns are raised formally.

SUBMISSION TEMPLATE APRIL 2013 Version1

As we have stated before, there are many concerns with the proposed mine at Breeza. Some of these concerns being dust, noise, flora, fauna, water, aboriginal heritage, social impacts, traffic, hazards, soils and loss of agricultural land to mining just to name a few.

To assist you prepare your personal submission, a guide submission template has been prepared. The guide provides the format and compulsory information that is required by the Department of Planning for a hard copy submission. The guide also includes some of the concerns raised at a recent public meeting at Breeza as well as suggestions from members. The concerns … Read More »

With a new Government in Macquarie Street, the new NSW Resources Minister Chris Hartcher was coy today, when the media reiterated CCAGs questions as to the extension of the expired BHP exploration lease covering Caroona Exploration Area. Trusting the mining companies to ‘do the right thing’, for example, not to mine under aquifers, or not to route gas pipe lines through black soil plains etc etc is not something that is apparent to Liverpool Plains landholders.

As CCAG chairman Sandy Bloomfield said today, this mining lease renewal is a great opportunity to revisit mining exploration conditions, to formalize mining companies promises and to implement real environmental safeguards.