2023-02-09
Drinking water from Perth’s biggest dam could be undrinkable because of hazardous mining practices by US aluminium company, Alcoa, costing the state up to $2.6 billion to clean it up.
Alcoa mines bauxite within 300 metres of the Serpentine Dam, and the risk of sediment flowing into the waterway increased significantly in recent years because it changed its mining methods.
Government departmental advisers fear heavy rain could wash sediment containing chemical pollutants and disease-causing pathogens into the dam making the water undrinkable for years.
Serpentine Dam holds 78 billion litres of water that’s surface runoff from the surrounding forest, as well as water from underground aquifers and desalination plants.
Quotes attributable to Australian Greens spokesperson for Resources, and Yamatji Noongar woman, Senator Dorinda Cox:
“Mining is a crucial industry for Western Australia, but we cannot allow environmental safeguards to be disregarded.
“Alcoa cannot retain its social licence to operate with reckless indifference to the health of two million people by contaminating their drinking water. The environmental clean up could cost billions. WA taxpayers will foot the bill and be robbed of precious water at the same time.
“Mining companies must pay for the damage they cause. At a federal level, we need stronger approval, accountability and rehabilitation processes to make sure this happens.”
Quotes attributable to Australian Greens spokesperson for Environment and Water, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young:
“The pollution to waterways from mining operations is unacceptable, clean drinking water is a human right.
“Unless these polluting companies are reined in, the environmental devastation won’t just end when native forest logging does in WA.
“These mining companies need to be held to account for the damage they cause and taxpayers must not be left footing the clean-up bills.”