The NSW government has fined Namoi Mining and Uralla Shire Council $15,000 after rain in August and September last year resulted in polluted stormwater being discharged into local waterways.
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NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regional manager Lindsay Fulloon said both incidents were preventable with better onsite management.
“With the right checks in place and better onsite management the incidents would have been prevented,” he said.
“The overflows of polluted water were diluted by rainfall and high flows in the waterways which fortunately reduced the potential for impacts on the environment.”
Namoi Mining, part of the Whitehaven Coal group, was fined after stormwater contaminated with coal was discharged from the Gunnedah Colliery to the local environment after rain in September 2016.
An EPA officer inspected the site after the company reported the discharge.
Mr Fulloon said contaminated stormwater flowed over a contour bank designed to convey stormwater runoff from the reject coal emplacement area to a holding dam on the premises.
“The bank failed to contain the stormwater runoff after heavy rainfall in the area, causing it to overflow,” he said.
“The polluted water travelled through a rural residential area and into an intermittent drainage line downstream of the premises.
“Since the incident, Namoi Mining has repaired and improved the bank to prevent further discharges. The EPA is also issuing a Pollution Reduction Program to the company requiring it to review systems at the site to improve the management of stormwater.”
A Whitehaven spokesperson said the contour bank was repaired on the day of the incident and follow up works were undertaken on all drainage structures.
Uralla Shire Council was fined after the leachate dam at the Uralla Landfill overflowed into a tributary of Kentucky Creek on two occasions in August and September last year.
Council reported the incidents to the EPA and “worked cooperatively with the EPA throughout the investigation”.
Mr Fulloon said since the incidents, Uralla Shire Council had introduced a number of improvements to better manage leachate and stormwater at the landfill, including earthworks to separate clean stormwater runoff from the catchment of the leachate dam.
“This penalty serves as a reminder to all licence holders that they must comply with the requirements of Environment Protection Licence conditions at all times,” Mr Fulloon said.
The Leader has contacted Uralla council for comment and is awaiting its response.