Mod 1 - Time Extension

Water catchments for agriculture, residences and natural environments are not sufficiently protected. Fixing pollution of water catchments is too expensive to ignore.

It is imperative that Australian moves away from fossil fuels - especially coal as well as gas from fracking. The only way forward is through renewable energy sources (which does not include wood). To allow any extension of this mine would be irresponsible. The fact that there was a recent toxic contamination from the mine into the Wollangambe river is frightening. The risk of contamination to the Sydney water catchment area is too high. Our precious water sources must be protected and given precedence over a dirty and unnecessary coal mine.

The sustainability of our water is far more important than the income produced from mining. Living in a dry country as we do we must protect our water supply as a priority.

We have one chance to get this right. We, as a country, rely on our Government's decisions to support public opinion and make responsible and sustainable choices. This is not a responsible choice. This is not regulated appropriately. This is not reflecting public opinion. This is not to go ahead.

Protect Sydney's Water Alliance is a network of more than 50 community groups across the Sydney Basin calling on the government to stop destructive mining in the water catchments.

It is time for the damaging legacy of longwall mining in Sydney Drinking Water Catchments to end and for the long term water supply for Sydney's 4.5million population to be prioritised ahead of the short-term economic benefits of mining companies. Sydney is the only city in the world (see Chief Scientist report) that allows longwall mining in publicly owned drinking water catchments. There is a reason for this. Water is the most precious resource.

Individual mining projects in the sensitive area that is the special area of Sydney Drinking Water Catchments must not be looked at in isolation of their cumulative impact. There are many uncertainties and a lack of data on the extent that mining in catchments affects these areas over the long term. There are not many major cities of the world that have a pristine water supply on their doorstop, complete with natural swamps that can retain and purify the water, acting like a giant sponge during droughts and release water slowly as base flow to the river systems they feed. Protecting this must be the priority.

Protect Sydney's Water Alliance objects to Wollongong Coal's application for a time extension for its Wongawilli Colliery (Major Project 09_0161, Modification 1) for the following reasons:

Wollongong Coal does not have the resources or the expertise to safely and responsibly carry out the project and not succeeded with its current 5 year approval to undertake work successfully - In February 2014, not long after Wollongong Coal started to mine its first Nebo longwall panel, mining was abruptly halted when the mine collapsed and buried the longwall mining equipment after Wollongong Coal tried to take a shortcut. The longwall mining equipment remains buried and the mine has been inactive ever since. This collapse of Nebo 2 longwall in February 2014 demonstrates that Wollongong Coal is not competent to carry out this mining. In addition the Nebo longwalls are too close to the Cordeaux Reservoirs No 1 and No 2 and associated watercourses to risk further reckless and careless mining mishaps.

The Wongawilli Colliery is currently in care-and-maintenance mode. Every application by Wollongong Coal is against the background of precarious financial instability. Wollongong Coal is a company without financial resources. It has been forced to sack about 200 workers in the past year. Its share price sits at just .02c. Wollongong Coal is a company with nothing to lose. Sydney is a city with billions of dollars of water infrastructure that is put at risk through coal mining in its catchments. Earlier this year Wollongong Coal announced a $92m loss for 12 weeks to March. Its executive leadership is in turmoil. Is this the sort of company we want in our water catchments?

Macro metallurgical market conditions are diabolical - It is doubtful that Wollongong Coal can mine at a profit. The price of Metallurgical coal is now down to a ten-year low with ANZ Bank saying that "a "meaningful price recovery in 2015 is highly unlikely with Chinese steel demand likely to fall for the first time in 35 years," . China has put an import tax on coking coal adding to the costs of production.

Multiseam mining - The unpredictable nature of multi-seam mining - that is mining overlying coal seams that have already been mined - poses unacceptable risks in water catchment areas due to impact of subsidence.

Nebo longwalls - The Nebo longwalls directly undermine Wattle Creek and Little Wattle Creek, which feed the Cordeaux No. 2 Reservoir. These longwalls come within 500 metres of the Reservoir itself.

Western Drivage - Since it was granted approval in 2011 Wollongong Coal has developed less than 500m of the Western drivage extending west from Wongawilli for about 5 km and running directly beneath Avon Dam. Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) objected to the Western Drivage, describing the western area that the underground roadways will provide access to as "a potentially large new mining area in relatively pristine parts of the Schedule 1 Metropolitan Special Area located in the catchments of Avon and Nepean Dams" (Sydney Catchment Authority Submission on the project, December 2010, p. 4). SCA also expressed concern that the drivages may cause water in the Avon Dam to leak into previously mined areas in the vicinity (ibid, p. 4). Rejecting Wollongong Coal's application for a time extension will see this area protected into the future.

Longwall mining has left a legacy of damage in Sydney's water catchment, including cracked and dried up river and creek beds, damaged and desiccated swamps, damage to and leakage from major storage dams and contamination of water. Wollongong Coal's Wongawilli project fails to consider the cumulative impact of previous and intended future mining in the area.

The Dam Safety Committee (DSC) has raised considerable concerns about mining within the special areas of Sydney Drinking Water Catchments where it has official oversights with DSC citing risks to reservoir storage and the channels that transport water. Other concerns include:
· Significant volumes of water currently being lost into the mines within and adjacent to the Metropolitan and Woronora Special Areas. To date 25% of these areas have been undermined; the catchment authority expects 91% by 2030.
· Fully flooded mines discharging contaminated water, adding to that of subsidence induced iron springs.
· An unknown amount of surface water diverted into subsidence cracks subsequently joining groundwater flows that take water away from reservoir storage.
· An unknown amount of rainfall runoff diverted into subsidence cracks lost through evaporation/evapotranspiration.
· An unknown amount of rainfall runoff lost as a result of increased surface porosity.
· Decline and loss of the protected Upland Swamps which act as filters and runoff moderators as well as water storage mechanism in time of drought
· Groundwater contributions to reservoir storage significantly reduced through redirection towards the mine and/or into groundwater flows that take water away from reservoir storage.
· Mining within the DSC notification areas risks uncontrolled mine inundation.
· Far-field movements risk reservoir dam integrity and catastrophic failure.

For all these reasons Protect Sydney's Water Alliance OBJECTS to Wollongong Coal's application for an extension to its Wongawilli Colliery operations.

I am a very concerned citizen of NSW with regard to the expansion of mining of all types within NSW.
I am very concerned with the destruction of our farmlands and our natural environment by CSG and the expansion of current mines.
This mine is intending to encroach further onto the Sydney water catchment area.
Water is necessary to support all life, and if we pollute it or destroy our catchments and aquifers - we will make Australia uninhabitable.
We cannot eat coal or drink polluted water and be healthy.
With the drop in both prices and markets for our coal, it may well be better for us to be prudent in the short term.
Please do not allow this expansion until there is a guarantee that there will be no impact on the environment or water supplies.

I am concerned about subsidence impacting upon upland swamps. These swamps have already been damaged and have not been adequately remediated.

Martin Krogh, the former Senior Biometrician for the Sydney Catchment Authority, in an academic paper in 2012 pointed out that

"There are numerous examples of subsidence induced cracking within SCA special catchment areas, however, because access is restricted, they tend to be outside of the view of the general public. This includes Flying Fox Creek, Wongawilli Creek, Native Dog Creek, Waratah Rivulet and a number of other smaller tributaries. In many cases there is complete absence of surface water flow and in some areas water can be clearly seen to disappear below ground. Many of the streams/creeks affected by longwall mining in the metropolitan and Woronora special areas (e.g. Native Dog and Wongawilli Creeks) have received no remediation at all".

But even if the land is remediated, Krogh argues that "Current remediation techniques do not fully rehabilitate the stream system. Further management initiatives are required which address both coal and water supply issues...This can only be achieved through cooperation and forward planning of mining operations which take account of critical surface features such as reservoirs, major water courses and swamps."

I believe that all people who drink Sydney water as well as the animals that depend on clean water have a stake in this decision. Future generations of residents also have a stake, so there is a large burden of responsibility on current decision makers to do the right thing and to phase out longwall mining which is damaging irreplaceable hydrological integrity.

please make our water a priority fit for human consumption & keep our water ways creeks rivers unpolluted by refraining from coal mining in natural pristine areas

Coal Mining in Our Water Catchments Should Never Happen its far too risky! Wollongong Coal should not get permission from the NSW Government to expand its mining operations in our water catchments.

Coal is putting Co2 into the atmosphere ,
There is no clean way out using this energy source.
Greenhouse gases are putting the entire ecosystem into peril.
We have an incredible opportunity for clean energy in the sun Thermal salt power generation.
We need to take this path and export the electricity produced.

Please accept this submission on behalf of Stop Coal Seam Gas Blue Mountains, a group comprising approximately 450 people concerned with the negative impacts of coal and coal seam gas. We wish to oppose Wollongong Coal's application to extend the Wongawilli coal mine.

We oppose this application for the following reasons:

The mine is located in the Sydney Water Catchment Special Area and close to major storage dams.

The Nebo longwall mines directly undermine Wattle Creek and Little Wattle Creek, which feed the Cordeaux No. 2 Reservoir. The company's longwall mines come within 500m of the Cordeaux No. 2 Reservoir and put this reservoir at risk.

Wollongong Coal cannot be trusted to mine in water catchments
The collapse of the longwall Nebo 2 shows that the company does not have the necessary expertise to safely operate.

The Nebo longwalls are too close to the Cordeaux Reservoirs No 1 and No 2 and associated watercourses to risk further mining mishaps.

The company's financial stability is questionable: it is currently suspended from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange for failing to provide adequate financial reporting.

Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) objected to the Western Drivage, saying it will provide access to "a potentially large new mining area in relatively pristine parts of the Schedule 1 Metropolitan Special Area located in the catchments of Avon and Nepean Dams". SCA also expressed concern the drivages may cause water in the Avon Dam to leak into previously mined areas in the vicinity. (Source: Sydney Catchment Authority Submission on the project. September 2010, p. 4.)

The Sydney catchment has already undergone enormous damage as a result of longwall mining. The potential damage to Sydney's water supply could prove catastrophic. - especially if longwall mining is carried out by irresponsible operators. The risks vastly outweigh the benefits.

Sutherland Shire Environment Centre does not agree that the Wongawilli coal mine should be approved for an extended period. We are strongly opposed to all mining in our water catchment areas and believe that it is irresponsible of governments to approve activities that could put our water security at risk. This mine has already collapsed (March 2014).
Such a collapse shows that Wollongong Coal cannot be depended on to avoid damage to the catchment, nor can it be depended on to remediate any damage their activities cause. The company's current suspension from the ASX means that there is no certainty about their financial future and so no confidence that they will be able to carry out any remediation work promised. Longwall mining has left a legacy of damage in Sydney's water atchment, an area that provides clean and reliable drinking water for 4.6 million people. Sydney is the only city in the world that allows mining in a publicly owned drinking water catchment.

Never ever have I seen such idiocy, long wall mining, has cracked 2 river beds, in Appin. The Nepean & Georges Rivers, now its time to crack our dams. Please do not allow this to happen.

NO TO COAL! NO TO ANY COAL! COAL IS POISONOUS, POLLUTING, AND A HUGE CONTRIBUTER TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHAOS. END ALL USE OF FOSSIL FUELS AND USE RECYCLED COOKING OIL, SOLAR, WIND AND TIDAL POWER FOR ENERGY.

There are two parts to the proposed mining -- the Nebo longwalls and the Western drivage:

The Nebo longwalls directly undermine Wattle Creek and Little Wattle Creek, which feed the Cordeaux No. 2 Reservoir. The longwalls come within 500m of the Cordeaux No. 2 Reservoir.

In February 2014, not long after the commencement of the first panel, mining was abruptly halted: the mine had collapsed and buried the longwall mining equipment when Wollongong Coal tried to take a shortcut. The longwall mining equipment remains buried and the mine has been inactive ever since.

The Western Drivage comprises 4 separate underground roadways, each 5.5 metres wide extending west from Wongawilli for about 5 km and running directly beneath Avon Dam. Since they were granted approval in 2011 Wollongong Coal has only developed less than 500m of the drivage. The purpose of the drivage is to provide future access to 100 million tonnes of coal in the western area of the company's mining leases.

Wollongong Coal don't have approval to mine this vast expanse of coal, but they want access to it because they want to mine it in the future.

Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) objected to the Western Drivage, saying it will provide access to "a potentially large new mining area in relatively pristine parts of the Schedule 1 Metropolitan Special Area located in the catchments of Avon and Nepean Dams". SCA also expressed concern the drivages may cause water in the Avon Dam to leak into previously mined areas in the vicinity. (Source: Sydney Catchment Authority Submission on the project, December 2010, p. 4.)

Wollongong Coal cannot be trusted to mine our water catchments
Wollongong Coal had five years to make a go of this mine and they haven't pulled it off. The collapse of the longwall Nebo 2 is proof that the company does not have the necessary expertise to safely operate.

The Nebo longwalls are too close to the Cordeaux Reservoirs No 1 and No 2 and associated watercourses to risk further reckless and careless mining mishaps.

The company's financial stability is questionable: it is currently suspended from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange for failing to provide adequate financial reporting.

If substantial damage occurs to the water catchment and storage system of Greater Sydney as a result of this mining, we cannot be certain that the company will stick around.

What mining has done to our water catchments already
Longwall mining has left a legacy of damage in Sydney's water catchment, including cracked and dried up river and creek beds, damaged and desiccated swamps, damage to and leakage from major storage dams and contamination of water. The Sydney Catchment Authority Special Areas provide drinking water to 4.6 million people of Greater Sydney. This area should be protected from longwall mining. Sydney is the only city in the world that allows longwall mining in a publically owned drinking water catchment. This project has the potential to negatively impact Avon Dam, Cordeaux Dam, Upper Cordeaux No. 1 Dam, Upper Cordeaux No. 2 Dam and associated watercourses.

The project fails to consider the cumulative impact of previous and intended future mining.

We need the water in our dams to be clean and their basins not to be cracked by underground mining being too close. And the rivers & creeks need to keep their water & not be drained by cracks from mining in their beds.

Please find attached a submission regarding 09_0161 MOD 1 .

Please do not publish either my email address or my street address.

Thanks, Peter.

I object to the Wollongong Coal application to extend (MP 09_0161) Wongawilli Coal mine.

My objections are attached :

- Mining impacts are irreversible

- Company record not good

- Incremental infiltration into water catchment areas

- The Sydney Water Supply needs to be protected

NPA Illawarra objects to the time extension proposed by Wongawilli Coal Pty, as detailed in our submission.

Please see attached for the Nature Conservation Council of NSW's objection to this project modification.

See attachment.