Water Pollution from coal mining in the Sydney Basin Water Pollution from coal mining in the Sydney Basin \ Ian Wright: Western Sydney University \ Ian Wright: Western Sydney University
X = coal mine discharge to waterway X = coal mine discharge to waterway RED = in this talk RED = in this talk IM x Canyon X AP X SP X x Coxs River Grose River Blue Mountains Clarence Sydney Metro Area Georges River Lake Nepean Burragorang 34 º 00 ‘ S River x River x Bargo West Cliff km 0 60 BC Tahmoor 150 º 15 ‘ E X
X West Cliff Colliery X Waste Discharge
X Waste Discharge to Bargo River X Tahmoor Colliery
Salinity Blue Mountains SW Sydney 1800 Warragamba Catchment Mean Electrical Conductivity (uS/cm) 1600 1400 WHA 1200 1000 ANZECC salinity trigger values 800 600 400 200 0 U s U U D U D U D w w x D D D p p P W W B B G G a a D D o S S A
Sulphate Blue Mountains SW Sydney 200 WHA 180 Warragamba Catchment 160 Mean sulfate (mg/L) 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 U 0 U D D s U D w w U x D U D P p U D U D W W G G a a p D D B B o S S A S S C
pH Blue Mountains SW Sydney 10 WHA Warragamba Catchment 9 Mean pH (pH units) 8 ANZECC 7 6 5 4 3 D U D U U D U w U U D U D p D s P W W G G w a a p D D B B x S S A o S S C
Bicarbonate Blue Mountains SW Sydney 600 Warragamba Catchment 500 Mean bicarbonate (mg/L) WHA 400 300 200 100 0 D U D U D D U D U D U U D U p s P w a w a p W W D D B B G G x A S S o S S C
Nickel Blue Mountains SW Sydney 200 WHA Warragamba Catchment 180 160 Mean Nickel (ug/L) 140 120 100 80 60 ANZECC toxicant trigger values 40 20 0 D U D U D D U D U D U U D U p s P w w p W W B B G G a a D D x A S S o S S C
Zinc Blue Mountains SW Sydney 350 WHA Warragamba Catchment 300 250 Mean Zinc (ug/L) 200 150 100 ANZECC toxicant trigger values 50 0 D U D U D D U D U D U U D U p s P w a w a p W W D D B B G G x A S S o S S C
Stonefly Caddis fly Mayfly
Abundance (green = EPT; orange = all others) south-western Sydney 450 Mean Abundance of invertebrates per sample Blue Mountains 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 WU WD DU DD BU BD GU GD Site Wollangambe Dalpura Ck Bargo River Georges River
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 1997. This is the cover page For ‘The Clarence Colliery’ which ‘dewatered’ into the Wollangambe River.
Mine Liquid Waste 2000 1800 Downstream of mine 1600 Copper Mean concentration (ug/L) 1400 Arsenic Strontium 1200 Barium 1000 Iron Aluminium 800 Manganese Zinc 600 Upstream of mine Nickel 400 200 0 GUS GDS WC Metal concentrations in the Georges River above (GUS) below (GDS) and West Cliff
EPA changes to EPL 2504 (West Cliff Mine Appin) Old EPL 2504 (pre April 2013) • Oil & Grease New EPL 2504 discharge • Suspended sediment conditions (after April 2013) • pH • Aluminium • Arsenic • Copper • Nickel • Lead • Manganese • Zinc • COD • Oil & Grease • pH • Suspended and dissolved solids
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)
Longwall Mine below Creek 1400 Tahmoor Coal Mine 1200 Electrical conductivity (µS/cm) 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Rita / RB1 RB2 RB3 Bargo us Bargo ds
80 70 60 50 % Culicidae 40 30 20 10 0 RB1 RB2 RB3 BUS BDS
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
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. 236-348. • 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: 359-372. • Wright, I.A. and Burgin, S. (2009) Effects of organic and heavy-metal pollution on chironomids within a pristine upland catchment. Hydrobiologia 635: 15-25. • 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: 227-241. • 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 369-376. • 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 385-391. • 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 206-213.
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