This link to Rivers SOS will give an excellent report on damage to our river systems by mining activity. Some photos of the results of mining to rivers are included here.
However this short article is to highlight the ongoing battle by a small group of individuals to try to rectify the damage caused by mining in the past.
In the Hunter Valley town of Kurri Kurri, there is an ongoing attempt to cleanup waterways damaged by past mining activity. It highlights the risk of ignoring or turning a blind eye to the rampant mining activity being carried out now.
This was submitted by a local resident Col Maybury :
" We have been treating the mine acid from old coal mines at Tester's Hollow where the Lagoon was killed. At Neath where a 1 million tonne spoil pile turned acid and heavy metals ran down into Swamp Creek.
The acid ate away the aluminium in the clays and the clays softer than talcum drifted down the creek building up in the large pools. This decreased the carrying capacity of the creek and flooding occurred.
At Greta an old mine that shut down in 1949 flows acid to the Hunter River. We built an automatic lime dosing machine and it operates on demand.
The authorities get royalties from mining approaching $1 billion this year so their interest seems to us to be, get as much coal out the port as possible. Community Consultative Committees don't work as they [seem to] flood them with public servants and they vote down the community reps or else they believe the untruths given out. "
The group have lab samples of the contamination.
A technical overview of "Acid Mine Drainage" is included here. A full report can be found at this link :
" Pyrite (FeS2) is commonly associated with coal and metal ore deposits, and its oxidation occurs spontaneously in nature causing environmental problems like Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) and mine-tailing leachate containing heavy metals.
Discharge of acid drainage into water bodies causes an instant threat to the biota and ecological balance. In addition, acid drainage can threaten drinking water supplies and irrigation systems downstream from a mining site.
AMD is a specific type of wastewater, which arises in mining of sulphidic ores, ore tailings or overburdens. At sites of moderate-to-high rainfall, AMD can be produced in large quantities, which significantly complicates its treatment. Due to mineralogy, and other environmental factors (especially climate), the potential for AMD formation is highly variable from site to site.
Pyrite oxidation takes place when the mineral is exposed to air and water. AMD involves the oxidation of pyrite and other sulphides, and yields Fe3+ and sulphuric acid. The overall chemical reaction governing pyrite oxidation is: FeS2 + 15/4 O2 + 7/2 H2O Fe(OH)3 + 2SO42- + 4H+
Note that the oxidation of sulphidic minerals can be accelerated by a special group of bacteria called acidophiles (e.g. Thiobacillus thiooxidans and Thiobacillus ferrooxidans).
Both water and oxygen are necessary to generate acid drainage. Water serves both as a reactant and as a medium for bacteria in the oxidation process. Water also transports oxidation products. Oxygen is required as a reactant and to sustain bacteria. Unsaturated and moist conditions in mine-waste profiles and tailings beds represent near-optimal conditions for sulphide oxidation.
Acid drainage can continue long after mining operations are complete. Abandoned mines can represent a substantial liability for industry and government once the economic resource at a site has been mined out. "
The question is "is this the type of legacy we want to leave future generations ?". If mining is inevitable then at least we ought to be able to force the miners to comply with consent requirements and to respect the rights of others and the wider community - self regulation will not do it !
Forget short term self interest and lobby against this - the ballot box is a good start - let them know you care - contact your local member.