Expansion of underground coal mining could see the water catchment areas of Sydney experiencing long-term and irreversible damage.
Illawarra Coal, a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, operates a coal mine under the streams and upland swamps that drain into areas that feed in to Sydney’s Prospect Reservoir.
The clean drinking water from the catchment supplies around 4.5 million people in the Sydney area.
Scientists are concerned that underground coal mining is draining not only the swamps but all of the water from the catchment area.
When it was first noticed that water levels had dropped in the swamps it was argued that Sydney was in a drought period.
However, scientists found evidence to suggest that the water actually vanishes underground as a result of the mine as it was found that the water lost from the surface makes its way through a system of cracks down to the mine and is completely lost.
Any future planned underground coal mines will significantly impact on Sydney’s water catchment levels. Please sign the petition and save Sydney’s water supply!
