SEVERAL water aquifers in the Highlands could be under threat if coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and longwall mining was allowed to proceed in the Highlands, Wingecarribee councillor Larry Whipper has warned.
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"There have been a number of mistakes that have been made in the past in our precious water catchment areas from mining practices; as a result of this the SCA have been working on a very sensible set of principles for mining in the special areas of our Water Catchments," the Sydney Catchment Authority board member said.
"Matters relating to CSG exploration in special areas have also been discussed with some vigour at the SCA board.
"The board have now decided to prepare a position paper which will be available on the SCA website soon.
"There may be some consensus that mining forms a very strong part of our nation's economy and provides jobs and investment in infrastructure at a very significant level
"This current argument is not against mining in total, irrespective of personal beliefs.
"This is about longwall mining which has proven to have negative impacts upon our environment and CSG, which is a potentially lethal time bomb."
Cr Whipper said the national authority on water should be listened to more closely by both government and industry.
"We must stop these threats to our drinking water, our environment and the safety of our people. If we refuse to listen to the growing concerns and call at various level for a precautionary approach, such as those by the National Water Commissioner Chloe Munro, the industry risks adverse impacts on surface and ground-water systems" he said.
"She released a paper identifying a variety of risks, saying cumulative impacts were not well understood, and that there could be 'substantial consequences and that if not adequately managed and regulated, the industry risks significant, long-term and adverse impacts on surface and ground-water systems'," he said.
Cr Whipper said council had written to the NSW Government.
"As usual we have not as yet received any feedback from our correspondence to government," he said.
The NSW Government said in December it would be proposing tougher rules for CSG exploration and was looking at banning some of the toxic chemicals used to drill overseas.
