news, local-news, Macarthur, Wollongong Coal, drinking water, Campbelltown Advertiser

A Wollongong mine seeking to expand it’s operations into part of the protected catchment that supplies Macarthur with its drinking water, has sacked 80 workers. Wollongong Coal announced on Tuesday that operations at its Russell vale mine would be suspended, resulting in the job losses. The company has been seeking to extend its longwall coal mining licence into the Sydney Catchment Authority Metropolitan Special Area and Lake Cataract Catchment. If approved, it would undermine parts of the catchment that supply Macarthur, Wollongong and Sydney residents with their drinking water and are so protected, bushwalkers are prohibited from entering the area. Earlier this year the proposal was delayed by the Planning Assessment Commission after it requested more information be provided before a determination was made. National Parks Association Macarthur branch spokeswoman Julie Sheppard has publicly condemned the proposal which she said would threaten the pristine quality of the drinking water. ‘‘The main reason this is an issue for people in Macarthur is because this is where their water comes from,’’ she said. ‘‘We don’t drink a drop of water from Warragamba Dam. ‘‘There are also concerns from environmental groups that mining companies like this will walk away from the mine and not deal with the issues they have created. ‘‘There are remediation works that need to be done.’’ In a statement, Wollongong Coal chief executive Milind Oza said approval of the expansion would secure the operations ‘‘long term future’’. ‘‘We will be doing absolutely everything we can to ensure this operation which has been in existence since 1887 will be able to provide ongoing employment and support for the local community,’’ he said. ‘‘This approval will pave the way to the beginning of a continued long term future in the region and we will continue to work closely with the NSW Government to ensure this can happen.’’

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Eighty workers sacked from mining company wanting to expand operations into part of Macarthur's drinking supply Ben Chenoweth