The world-heritage listed Wollangambe River, which runs through spectacular canyons in the Blue Mountains, is under threat from pollution flowing into its upper reaches from a Lithgow coal mine.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The river is being pumped with waste water discharged from the Clarence Collier coal mine, which is harming the ecology of the waterway.
Scientists from the University of Western Sydney School of Science and Health, claim licence restrictions placed by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) on mine pollution are not enough. They want an investigation to identify all the contaminants that are flowing from the mine.
"The river is beautiful - it really is a scenically amazing place, but the sad reality is that the mine is silently poisoning the place and we have no idea how this is affecting the wildlife," said Dr Ian Wright from UWS.
An EPA spokeswoman said they are already reviewing the mine licence with the aim of tightening limits on nickel and salinity in discharges as part of a legally binding pollution reduction program. She said the EPA had started its own investigation into the impact of the mine water discharge on the river ecosystem.
A spokeswoman for Clarence Colliery said: "We have over a decade of research which we use to ensure we comply with the EPA's requirements."
Dr Wright and student Nakia Belmer have been researching the health of the river for several years and have made a submission to the Environment Protection Authority warning the discharge increases salinity, metals pH and temperature in the river.
They have tested the water above the mine and reported it to be clean. They found that below the mine, the water is warmer, has elevated salinity, alkaline and has "ecologically hazardous levels of nickel and zinc".
Mr Belmer documented the "black sludge" which has coated the rocks at the water discharge point from the mine.
The Clarence Colliery has had 84 non-compliance breaches of its licence in the past 14 years including a caution and a formal warning. The EPA last fined the company $1500 in 2012 for breaching the levels of manganese flowing into the river.
