Many parts of
Australia have experienced the extremes of weather over the past week, as
ex-tropical cyclone Oswald moved down the east coast of Australia.
This week water
distributor Queensland Urban Utilities enacted mandatory water restrictions,
limiting water use for essential purposes only and all residents and businesses
were urged to conserve water.
Due to record turbidity levels in the Brisbane
River as a result of the extreme weather from ex Tropical Cyclone Oswald, SEQWater
had to take the Mt Crosby Water Treatment Plant offline. The high turbidity and
suspended solids in the flood waters which filled SEQ’s dams created problems
for SEQWater’s water treatment plants
Unfortunately,
many businesses and residents saw a need to stockpile water, in case supplies
did run out and as a consequence they almost did.
The bulk water
supply demand across the region was met, however SEQWater is continuing to work
with the distributor-retailers to monitor the situation carefully.
Mine Water Releases
On Friday, 25
January 2013 the Queensland Minister for the Environment Andrew Powell told the
media 4 mines had been given approval to release contaminated mine water into
the Fitzroy River.
He stated that
it would cause no problems because the river was already in flood so the salty
and heavy metal contaminants in the mine water would be diluted.
Allegedly, an
official gave a figure of approximately 1 litre of contaminated water for every
100 litres of "fresh" river water.
The Department
of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) is responsible for regulating and
monitoring mines water releases into receiving environments and works
collaboratively with other government agencies in managing, monitoring and
mitigating mines releases during times of extreme weather events.
The Economic
Development Bill 2012 (now the Act), was passed by the Queensland
Parliament on 29 November 2012, and enables the state government to approve the release of water from mines with only 24 hours notice. Under a Temporary
Emissions License, companies no
longer have to test their mine water for contaminants before they release.
As a result of
ex-tropical cyclone Oswald there are a number of mines in central Queensland
discharging mines water into receiving rivers and creeks. EHP is working with
the relevant mines and Companies to ensure these releases are managed and
controlled in the best possible way. Details
of the mines releasing discharges in accordance with their environmental
authorities are listed below and will be continually updated over coming days.
In November 2012
the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) issued amended
environmental authorities to four coal mines located in central Queensland
to conduct a pilot of enhanced mine water release during the 2012-13 wet
season.
EHP is
publishing a
daily update of mine affected water releases for the four mines provided with approval to
take part in this pilot are:
·
Saraji
·
This pilot will
be closely regulated by EHP and the downstream water quality will be closely
monitored by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines. In addition, the
four BMA mines will also be required to undertake additional monitoring.
As part of the
close monitoring and regulation of this pilot, EHP has prepared an Isaac Pilot Operational Policy that provides
information for when a cease release will be issued to ensure that water supply
and water quality—for both drinking and irrigation—will not be compromised by
the pilot.
Ongoing
real-time water monitoring data of water quality in the Fitzroy catchment is
available during the pilot as it is at any other time. Visit the Fitzroy
River website to view water quality information.
The minister and
EHP may have approved another 38 mine releases over the long weekend. The Department of Environment and Heritage
Protection posted a list of
42 mines which have been permitted to release contaminated water into the
rising Fitzroy River
