MOD 5 - Water transfer from Angus Place

This submission is made on behalf of the Blue Mountains Conservation Society. The Society 's name should be reorded as the submitter, not the sender of this email thanks

Please see attached submission submitted by Environmental Justice Australia on behalf of our client Lithgow Environment Group.

To whom it may concern,

I am a concerned citizen of Sydney and a parent who wants my child to grow up drinking from an uncontaminated water supply. I am also someone keenly aware of the ongoing crisis of species loss and land degradation in this continent and who wants to conserve the last remaining pockets of biodiversity and natural beauty that have survived the ravages of colonial exploitation.
The proposal to establish a toxic tailings dam, after a pitifully – perhaps illegally – short period of public consultation which began over the October long weekend is s clearly meant to railroad the community interest and to serve the profit motive of polluters.
Modification 8 for Angus Place and modification 5 for Western Coal Services are not minor adjustments to an approved project. They would seem to be part of a larger plan to evade the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and clear the legal path for Centennial to expand its mining operation, by obscuring the extent of impacts from the future Angus Place West Proposal on national heritage in the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area. They will allow Centennial to by-pass the $120 million reverse osmosis mine water treatment plant and permit the discharge of mine water into the Coxs River catchment. The impacts of these modifications should be assessed in totality with the proposed Angus Place West mine expansion proposal, rather than piecemeal through these modifications. The modifications should be withdrawn and the changes they seek should be included in Centennial’s state significant development application for the Angus Place West mining area so that they can be appropriately assessed.

If Modification 8 is approved, the lowering of the water table and loss of groundwater in the area is likely to transform the local ecology, endangering arboreal and bird species in the area. Mine effluent with high salinity and heavy metal content will likewise damage the fragile wetland ecosystems by poisoning invertebrates at the base of the food web.

Further, the modifications will see more contaminated mine water going into the Wangcol Creek from the Western Coal Services site. This water is likely to be contaminated with toxic chemicals such as arsenic and selenium that have been recorded as present in the mine water of the Springvale-Angus Place mine water system.

To whom it may concern,
Please see the attached submission as an objection
Sincerely,
Keith Muir

Please refer to the attached letter from Sue Elliott, Executive, Operations and Projects.

Dear Madam / Sir,
I am a keen bushwalker and I object to this project on the following grounds:
- The lack of time for comment on these damaging proposals
- The modification proposals should be part of the Angus Place West major project, not treated like a separate project
- Nationally endangered wetlands and swamps could be damaged
- Sydney's drinking water supplies might be contaminated – highlight that the water they are proposing to dump can't be treated at the specially built 40ML/day mine water treatment plant
- The modification proposals should be subjected to scrutiny under Federal environmental law
- Centennial's track record means its environmental report on these proposals should not be relied upon
- Another reverse osmosis treatment plant is needed right now to treat this additional mine water.
I am extremely concerned about the negative consequences of this proposal on the local environment and the potential risk to Sydney's water supply.

Wellington Valley Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation membership have discussed this proposed modification and believe that this modification will have positive environmental outcomes for Centennial Coal.