HVO to pay $400,000 towards land management improvements following water pollution at the mine site
Yancoal and Glencore's joint venture open cut coal mine
Hunter Valley Operations has entered into an Enforceable Undertaking with the
Environment Protection Authority (EPA), paying $400,000 towards environmental
land management improvements.
This follows a water pollution incident at an open cut mine,
that is managed by Glencore, last year.
EPA Director Operations Metro North Adam Gilligan said the
alleged water pollution was a result of rainfall runoff from a rehabilitation
slope at the Lemington Road mine being discharged into an adjacent waterway
which flows into the Hunter River, an activity that could have been prevented.
"The rainfall caused the sediment-laden water to flow
into Farrells Creek through holes in a contour bank in a formerly mined
area," Mr Gilligan said.
"The contour bank was designed to divert water away
from the creek but it can't do this if is not properly maintained and erosion
has occurred."
HV Operations will pay $100,000 to a project on travelling
stock reserves in the Singleton area to improve conservation and management of
soil erosion.
They are required to develop and implement a remediation
plan for an area within the mine site with an estimated cost of $250,000 and
conduct an annual inspection of all rehabilitation areas across the mine site,
at a cost of around $50,000.
HV Operations is also required to pay the EPA's legal,
investigation and monitoring costs of approximately $30,000.
Enforceable Undertakings are a tool that the EPA can use as
an alternative to prosecution. Through an enforceable undertaking, the EPA may
secure outcomes such as environmental restoration measures or contributions to
environmental projects. The undertaking is enforceable by the Land and
Environment Court.
Mr Gilligan said it was determined from water testing and
the duration of the incident that there was minimal harm to the environment but
it was timely to remind all mines that water management systems must be
monitored and checked regularly.
As part of developing and implementing the remediation plan,
HV Operations will need to undertake a number of activities including surface
water assessments and repairing contour banks.
"Remediation will take several forms including
repairing slope erosion, re-seeding the area and undertaking agronomic and
surface water assessments."
As part of the undertaking, HV Operations will place a print
media notice about the Enforceable Undertaking in the Newcastle Herald, Sydney
Morning Herald and the Singleton Argus and post the notice on its social media
channels.
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