\ Ian Wright: Western Sydney University X = coal mine discharge to - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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

34º 00‘ S 150º 15‘ E Lake Burragorang Coxs River Grose River Bargo River x West Cliff

Sydney Metro Area

x x x

Tahmoor Canyon IM Blue Mountains 60 km

Nepean River

Georges River X Clarence AP SP X X BC X

X = coal mine discharge to waterway X = coal mine discharge to waterway RED = in this talk RED = in this talk

X X West Cliff Colliery Waste Discharge

X X Tahmoor Colliery Waste Discharge to Bargo River

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800

• x

s A P D a w a w S p U S p D W U W D D U D D B U B D G U G D

Mean Electrical Conductivity (uS/cm)

Blue Mountains SW Sydney

WHA Warragamba Catchment ANZECC salinity trigger values

Salinity

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

C

• x

s U A P D S a w U S a w D S p U S p D W U W D D U D D B U B D G U G D

Mean sulfate (mg/L)

Blue Mountains SW Sydney

WHA Warragamba Catchment

Sulphate

pH

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

C

• x

s U A P D S a w U S a w S p U S p D W U W D D U D D B U B D G U G D

Mean pH (pH units)

Blue Mountains SW Sydney

WHA ANZECC Warragamba Catchment

100 200 300 400 500 600

C

• x

s U A P D S a w U S a w D S p U S p D W U W D D U D D B U B D G U G D

Mean bicarbonate (mg/L)

Blue Mountains SW Sydney

WHA Warragamba Catchment

Bicarbonate

Nickel

20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200

C

• x

s U A P D S a w U S a w D S p U S p D W U W D D U D D B U B D G U G D

Mean Nickel (ug/L)

Blue Mountains SW Sydney

WHA ANZECC toxicant trigger values Warragamba Catchment

Zinc

50 100 150 200 250 300 350

C

• x

s U A P D S a w U S a w D S p U S p D W U W D D U D D B U B D G U G D

Mean Zinc (ug/L)

Blue Mountains SW Sydney

WHA ANZECC toxicant trigger values Warragamba Catchment

Mayfly Stonefly Caddis fly

Abundance (green = EPT; orange = all others)

50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 WU WD DU DD BU BD GU GD Site Mean Abundance of invertebrates per sample

Blue Mountains south-western Sydney

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.

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 GUS GDS WC Mean concentration (ug/L)

Copper Arsenic Strontium Barium Iron Aluminium Manganese Zinc Nickel

Upstream of mine Downstream of mine Mine Liquid Waste 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
• 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

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)

200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Rita / RB1 RB2 RB3 Bargo us Bargo ds Electrical conductivity (µS/cm)

Longwall Mine below Creek Tahmoor Coal Mine

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 RB1 RB2 RB3 BUS BDS % Culicidae

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.