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Sydney, Illawarra drinking water catchmentunder threat as mining takes toll on key wetlandsABC Illawarra / By Ainslie Drewitt-Smith, Justin Huntsdale

Posted Tue 17 Sep 2019 at 3:24pm, updated Tue 17 Sep 2019 at 4:06pm

UNSW researcher Duncan Rayner has been studying the impact of mining in the Cordeaux Dam catchment area for the past five

years. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)

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Sydney's drinking water catchment is under threat from longwall miningoperations, with research confirming upland swamps and streams are drying out.

A study conducted by the University ofNew South Wales has revealed that theimpact of mining operations south ofSydney are becoming more widespread.

Mining company South32 wants to extendthe life of its Dendrobium Colliery, southof Sydney, where it extracts 5.2 milliontonnes of coking coal each year for steel-making.

Duncan Rayner, the principal engineer atthe UNSW Water Research Laboratory,said the company's existing operationsbeneath the water catchment haveundermined some of the upland swamp'ssandstone beds, meaning many of themcan no longer store water.

Longwall mining, which involves the creation of a horizontal shaft underground,can cause cracking in the river and creek beds above.

"Temperate highland peat swaps are endangered ecological communities that actlike a sponge and a filter, releasing pure drinking water," Mr Rayner said.

"What we're seeing from swamps that are undermined, or that have had longwallmining going underneath them, is that those swamps no longer hold water.

"Their underlying sandstone is cracked and the swamps have dried

out."

Swamps crucial during droughtThe university has been researching the area for the past five years on behalf ofWater NSW and alongside the Office of Environment and Heritage.

"The impacts have been the same for as long as longwall mining has beenundertaken," Mr Rayner said.

"But mining operations are expanding, so the impacts are

expanding."

The swamps provide vital drinking water to Sydney and the Illawarra, and MrRayner said the impacts on the systems are being exacerbated by the drought.

"These swamps are more important during drought periods because of their abilityto store water and release it slowly over time," he said.

"So the fact that this is ongoing during a drought period is a bad outlook for waterflowing downstream, and a bad outlook for the watercourses that rely on waterfrom these swamps."

Fears damage 'irreversible'Several environmental groups have collaborated in opposition of South32'sproposal to continue mining in the catchment until 2048.

Julie Sheppard from the National Parks Association said she is distressed by theongoing degradation of Sydney's Drinking Water Catchment.

"Obviously the land is going to be dry in the drought and that's even more reasonwhy we shouldn't have any further stresses on the vegetation and the water-holding capacity of the catchment areas," Ms Sheppard said.

"You've got to wonder if these catchments can even cope.

"If we have a fire through the catchments in summer, then we

could see massive impacts that will destroy the swamps forever."

Ms Sheppard has been observing and reviewing the impact of mining operations inthe area since 2005 and said there is no way to repair the damage to the swamps.

"The repair of the cracked bases of the swamps has never been done — there is noexample of this having ever been done, so they don't know how to do it," she said.

"And yet we're continuing to allow mining in a water supply area that is incrediblyimportant to the people of greater Sydney and the projected increase in populationin greater Sydney.

"It does upset me greatly.

"It's dispiriting and depressing and frustrating and makes me very

angry."

In its submission to the independent Expert Panel for Mining in the Catchment,Water New South Wales said its opposed to operations at the Dendrobium Collierybeing extended.

"WaterNSW holds the firm view that no further longwall mining should be approvedwithin the Special Areas with dimensions of the size currently undertaken at theDendrobium mine," a WaterNSW spokesman said.

South32 responds to environmentalconcernsIn its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of its application to extend thelife of its Dendrobium mine, South32 said it will not mine under water supplyreservoirs, which are referred to as watercourses and key stream features.

The company said it would offset potential subsidence-related impacts to uplandswamps consistent with government policies.

Posted 17 Sep 2019, updated 17 Sep 2019

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This swamp in the Cordeaux Dam would be impacted under South32's expansion plans. (ABC Illawarra: Justin

Huntsdale)

Julie Sheppard says the Cordeaux Dam catchment is a vital source of drinking water and must be protected.

(ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)

Mining company South32 said it will offset impacts to upland swamps affected by its longwall mining. (ABC

Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)

"We will compensate WaterNSW for the agreed volume of surface water divertedfrom the Sydney drinking water catchment, which is estimated at less than one percent of the Avon and Cordeaux catchment yields," the statement said.

"Project sediment controls for surface disturbance activities would be designedconsistent with applicable guidance materials.

"South32 proposes water quality improvement actions such as fire management andmaintenance of unsealed roads which would target reduced sedimentation in theSpecial Catchment Areas.

"It is considered that the Project would, therefore, have a net beneficial effect onwater quality in the Special Catchment Areas."

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Key points:

Research indicates longwall

mining has been drying up NSW

swamps that provide drinking

water

Mining company South32 plans to

expand its operations in the

Cordeaux Dam area

Environmental groups are calling

for mining expansion in the area

to be stopped