A pollution incident that saw black sludge wash down a suburban creek in the centre of suburban Wollongong has raised wider concerns about the transparency around mining.
On August 8 and 9 heavy rainfall caused pockets of flooding around the Illawarra.
But at the Dendrobium coal mine, owned by South32 and located at Mount Kembla, the heavy rain "led to a release of water from the sediment pond … containing fine coal particles," a company spokesman said in a statement.
"Clean up activities to-date have involved the removal of coal fines found in the two creeks", the company said.
While this has been welcomed by environmentalists and local residents concerned by the pollution, questions around what went into the creek, in what quantities, and how much was removed in the clean up continue to linger.
Call for Environment Minister to act
Not satisfied with answers provided in the last three weeks since the spill occurred, Wollongong Greens councillor Cath Blakey is calling for clear answers.
Cr Blakey won backing from her council on Monday night for a motion calling on the Environment Minister to initiate a robust and comprehensive investigation into the Dendrobrium water discharge licence breach.
She wants this to include a comprehensive clean up of pollution residue, and public and transparent reporting on the quantity and quality of the spill.
"I think if they are testing there should be that disclosure," she said.
"I know the residents of Figtree want to know and I know that council as a stormwater manager need to know.
"I mean, they're our creeks. We don't just consider them as drains."
In response to questioning by the ABC, the Environmental Protection Authority issued a statement outlining their actions.
"The EPA understands that approximately 10 megalitres [10 million litres] of water was discharged into the creek," the statement said.
The mining company's licence states South32 is required to provide an Environment Assessment Report to the EPA, including:
- information on the characteristics and quantity of fine materials discharged through the sediment dam;
- the extent of the dispersion of these materials downstream; and
- a monitoring program to evaluate any restoration of the creeks.
The mining company released its report to the EPA on Monday but the report is not yet public.
The company said in a statement:
"The report found there has been limited measurable impact on stream ecology and there was no evidence of fish or fauna mortality. The coal fines were considered to be non-toxic.
The EPA said the report will help it to form a view on "the nature and extent of any environmental and human effects impacts from the incident."
Allans Creek 'most polluted' in Wollongong
Water from Brandy and Water Creek runs into America's Creek, then Allans Creek — one of the most polluted waterway in Wollongong.
Wollongong University academic Michael Adams, in his account of a black marlin swimming into the creek from the ocean to the astonishment of onlookers in 2017, wrote:
"The most polluted creek in the Illawarra region of south-east Australia, Allans Creek flows through the steelworks, its banks lined with concrete and weeds, its waters littered with plastic, broken glass and rusting steel."
The pollution incident at Figtree has re-ignited wider concerns about industrial impacts on the environment at a time when South32 is under scrutiny over its plans for new longwalls underneath special catchment areas.
It adds to existing concerns around the close monitoring of nearby proposals for a Russell Vale coal mine expansion, and the Hume Coal Project — a new mine proposed for the Southern Highlands.
"If this is what happens in streams we can access through our residential areas, it is really concerning what is happening in the special catchment area where humans are not allowed to walk," Cr Blakey said.
