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 project’s EIS has enormously underestimated the actual impact that activities have caused. Landholder’s bores have dried up for the first time. The company denied having any contribution to the water disappearing.

If a little boutique mine like Werris Creek cannot accurately predict the water impacts, how can the governing agencies assure us that the Shenhua Watermark Project poses very little risk to water?

The report will be available here soon.

Coal Liverpool Plains Water whitehaven