2019-10-24
Today, NSW upper house MP and Greens spokesperson for the Central Coast, Abigail Boyd, introduced the Central Coast Drinking Water Catchments Protection Bill 2019 to protect the Central Coast drinking water by imposing a moratorium on coal mining and CSG in the Central Coast's water catchment areas.
"The Wallarah 2 coal mine will consume gigalitres of our drinking water supply and threaten its contamination, with clean-up possibly taking up to 30 years." said Abigail Boyd.
"It poses significant threats to the waterways that form the Central Coast water supply system at a time when our water reserves are already being depleted at an alarming rate across the state.
"The Sydney and Illawarra water catchments already have the benefit of special protections and are within the remit of Water NSW. So why not the Central Coast's drinking water too?
"The Liberal-National Government defends its mining approvals process despite it having led to a long-wall mine being permitted in the drinking water catchment of over 340,000 people.
"They defend that process despite it resulting in a mining company being allowed to discharge recycled mine water into that drinking water catchment.
"No where else in the world would this be allowed to happen.
"The Greens Bill, introduced today, would protect our drinking water here on the Central Coast and place a moratorium on coal mining and CSG, preventing the Wallarah 2 coal mine from proceeding."
Media Contact for further comment: Matthew Thompson - 0421 743 665 or 9230 3675