Water Pollution from coal mining in the Sydney Basin. \Ian Wright: Western Sydney University

Transcription

1 Water Pollution from coal mining in the Sydney Basin \Ian Wright: Western Sydney University

2 X = coal mine discharge to waterway RED = in this talk x X X Coxs River AP SP Clarence IM X Canyon x Blue Mountains Grose River Sydney Metro Area Lake Burragorang Nepean River Georges River 34º 00 S BC 150º 15 E Bargo River X x Tahmoor x West Cliff 0 km 60

3 X X West Cliff Colliery Waste Discharge

4 X Waste Discharge to Bargo River X Tahmoor Colliery

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9 B U B D G U GD AP D S a w S a w S p U S pd W U WD D U D D Salinity Blue Mountains Warragamba Catchment WHA ANZECC salinity trigger values SW Sydney C o x s Mean Electrical Conductivity (us/cm)

10 BU BD G U G D DD DU A P D S a w U S a w D Sp U S pd WU WD C o x s U 0 Sulphate Blue Mountains Warragamba Catchment WHA SW Sydney Mean sulfate (mg/l)

11 B U B D G U GD W D D U DD ph Blue Mountains Warragamba Catchment WHA ANZECC SW Sydney AP D S awu S a w SpU S pd WU Coxs U Mean ph (ph units)

12 B U B D G U G D D D W D D U AP D S awu S awd SpU S p D W U Bicarbonate Blue Mountains Warragamba Catchment WHA SW Sydney Coxs U Mean bicarbonate (mg/l)

13 B U B D G U G D D D W D D U Nickel Blue Mountains Warragamba Catchment ANZECC toxicant trigger values WHA SW Sydney AP D S awu S awd SpU S p D W U Coxs U Mean Nickel (ug/l)

14 B U B D G U G D D D W D D U Zinc Blue Mountains Warragamba Catchment ANZECC toxicant trigger values WHA SW Sydney AP D S awu S awd SpU S p D W U Coxs U Mean Zinc (ug/l)

15 Stonefly Mayfly Caddis fly

16 Mean Abundance of invertebrates per sample Abundance (green = EPT; orange = all others) Blue Mountains south-western Sydney WU WD DU DD BU BD GU GD Site Wollangambe Dalpura Ck Bargo River Georges River

17 All coal mine waste water discharges in this study are (or were) regulated through Environment Protection Licences (EPL) which are under NSW Protection of the Environment Operations Act This is the cover page For The Clarence Colliery which dewatered into the Wollangambe River.

18 Mine Liquid Waste Downstream of mine Mean concentration (ug/l) Upstream of mine Copper Arsenic Strontium Barium Iron Aluminium Manganese Zinc Nickel GUS GDS WC Metal concentrations in the Georges River above (GUS) below (GDS) and West Cliff

19 EPA changes to EPL 2504 (West Cliff Mine Appin) Old EPL 2504 (pre April 2013) Oil & Grease Suspended sediment ph New EPL 2504 discharge conditions (after April 2013) Aluminium Arsenic Copper Nickel Lead Manganese Zinc COD Oil & Grease ph Suspended and dissolved solids

20 The Environment Minister Robyn Parker gave the Environment Protection Authority a stinging rebuke when she heard about the pollution yesterday. The EPA needs to lift their game Ms Parker said. We ve put them there, And given them increased powers, and increased responsibilities, and I need To see some action from them. (Ben Cubby, Sydney Morning Herald, 18/7/12)

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24 Longwall Mine below Creek Tahmoor Coal Mine Electrical conductivity (µs/cm) Rita / RB1 RB2 RB3 Bargo us Bargo ds

25 % Culicidae RB1 RB2 RB3 BUS BDS

26 Conclusion Discharges from 7 mine waste discharges caused considerable change to downstream water quality. The exact nature of the change to water quality was different in each case. Three common themes: downstream of mines was more saline, had higher levels of metals (Zn and Ni), and strongly modified aquatic ecosystems (where tested). Each discharge could be considered to be water pollution The EPA licence for each mine failed to impose effective discharge limits on potential toxicants. This area of water pollution regulation deserves further examination, but has been improved over last 5 years. Closed, derelict and abandoned mines will be a legacy for future generations

27 Publications Price, P., and Wright, I.A. (in review) Water quality impact from the discharge of coal mine wastes to receiving streams: comparison of impacts from an active mine with a closed mine. Submitted to Water, Air and Soil Pollution. Wright, I.A. and Ryan, M. (in review) Impact of mining and industrial pollution on stream macroinvertebrates: importance of taxonomic resolution, water geochemistry and EPT indices for impact detection. Submitted to Hydrobiologia. Wright, I.A., Belmer, N., Price, P., and McCarthy, B. (2015). Subsidence from an underground coal mine and mine wastewater discharge causing water pollution and degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Water, Air and Soil Pollution Graham, K., and Wright, I.A. (2012) The potential and reality of the Environment Protection Licensing system in NSW: the case of water pollution. Environmental Planning and Law Journal. 29: Wright, I.A. and Burgin, S. (2009) Effects of organic and heavy-metal pollution on chironomids within a pristine upland catchment. Hydrobiologia 635: Wright, I.A. and Burgin, S. (2009) Comparison of sewage and coal-mine wastes on stream macroinvertebrates within an otherwise clean upland catchment, south-eastern Australia. Water, Air and Soil Pollution. 204: Sullivan, R., Wright, I.A., Renshaw, A., and Wilks, M. (2014) The assessment of impacts from mining wastes on water quality and aquatic ecosystems using freshwater macroinvertebrate communities and novel bio-assay tests, in Viets, G; Rutherfurd, I.D, and Hughes, R. (editors), Proceedings of the 7th Australian Stream Management Conference, Townsville, Queensland, Pages Belmer, N., Tippler, C., Davies, P.J., and Wright, I.A. (2014) Impact of a coal mine waste discharge on water quality and aquatic ecosystems in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, in Viets, G; Rutherfurd, I.D, and Hughes, R. (editors), Proceedings of the 7th Australian Stream Management Conference, Townsville, Queensland, Pages Wright, I.A. (2012) Coal mine dewatering of saline wastewater into NSW streams and rivers: a growing headache for water pollution regulators. In Grove, J.R. and Rutherfurd, I.D (eds). Proceedings of the 6th Australian Stream Management Conference, Managing for Extremes, 6-8 February, 2012 Canberra, Australia, published by the River Basin Management Society p.p