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An expert panel will be hired to counsel Boral on the best way to address water quality issues in the Wingecarribee River.
Boral has announced extra measures it will take to improve the way it monitors and manages the quality of water that runs through its unused mine.
The company released these measures On October 18 which have been designed to improve water quality monitoring and management at the former Berrima Colliery site.
The site is currently under a care and maintenance regime following a decision to stop mining operations four years ago.
Executive General Manager of Boral Cement, Ross Harper, said the new measures were in line with Boral’s continuing commitment to eventually close the unused mine.
Mr Harper said Boral had been working closely for many years with state authorities, including the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), on a long term plan for the closure of the mine.
The new measures included the establishment of a panel of experts to provide recommendations and counsel to Boral on best practice, including practical solutions to water quality in the Wingecarribee River.
Other initiatives include:
- Increasing the extent and frequency of water quality monitoring and testing along the relevant sections of the Wingecarribee River, beyond Boral’s pre-established monitoring and license regime.
- Publishing the results of the additional testing on the Boral website to ensure transparency.
- Further engagement with the local community to ensure they are kept informed of developments in a timely manner.
- A review of potential feasible water treatment options for consideration by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), and other state authorities for both, short term and long term water management solutions.
The EPA directed Boral to submit an Action Plan to address discharges from the former Berrima Colliery site.
It is currently completing a detailed assessment of the Action Plan which is focussed on immediate actions.
The EPA is also engaging with other NSW Government Agencies as part of the assessment.
Following the completion of its assessment, the EPA will add new Environment Protection Licence conditions specifying the remedial measures to be installed, and the timeline for installation.
“Since suspending coal extraction at the Berrima site in October 2013, we have undertaken regular monitoring of the water that naturally flows through the old mine, testing the quality of the water against established guidelines, and monitoring stream health of the river,” Mr Harper said.
“Our testing has consistently found the water going into the Wingecarribee River from the mine to be in line with all of our license conditions and approvals.
“However, in recent months, testing has detected an increase in the concentration of some minerals in the river water below the discharge point, exacerbated by extremely low rainfall in the catchment.”
Mr Harper said the water coming out of the mine was not waste and had not been contaminated but Boral would introduce additional measures to improve its monitoring system.
“We take our responsibilities to the local community and to the environment seriously and will take all steps necessary to ensure we comply with all the relevant state and local guidelines and regulations and minimise impacts on the river.”
The old Berrima Colliery was one of Australia’s smallest coal mines, which had been operating for more than 50 years before Boral acquired it.
Coal extracted from the mine was used by Boral at its local cement making facilities but operations stopped in 2013 when Boral decided to source supply from elsewhere.
