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Wollondilly Council has opposed a planned extension of South 32's Dendrobium coal mine due to concerns about how it will affect the region's water supply. The council hopes Water NSW, state water minister Melinda Pavey and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment (DPIE) will provide more information about how the project may affect Macarthur's water catchment area. Councillors were divided on the issue at last week's extraordinary council meeting, but mayor Matthew Deeth said water supply was important to all councillors. "Water is one of the biggest issues this region is facing," he said. "We aren't against mining either - in fact all councillors are supportive of mining - but the challenge is ensuring that mining has as minimal a [negative] impact as possible and people are compensated appropriately." South 32 have proposed to extend areas five and six of their mining operations which neighbour Cordeaux Dam. Cr Deeth said Water NSW had also expressed concerns about the proposal. "With Water NSW also ringing alarm bells and more extreme weather events predicted there will be added pressure on water supply," he said. "We need to do our due diligence to make sure that the water supply will not be affected so we can't support the expansion into the catchment area until all of the evidence is available to us." The Dendrobium Colliery produces metallurgical coal used in the steel-making process. Last year an Independent Expert Panel for Mining in the Catchment examined the impact of the Dendrobium and metropolitan mines on special areas within the drinking water catchment. The report found that South32s Dendrobium mine could be draining three million litres of water (more than an Olympic pool) each day from reservoirs and groundwater into the mine workings. The report also found it was likely this was caused by fracturing or cracking of the bedrock due to mining subsidence at Dendrobium. Cr Deeth hoped the submissions already sent in to the DPIE would trigger an independent assessment of the proposal so the effect on water supply could be independently assessed. He said while the official submission process had now closed, people could still have their say on the issue. "You can contact your local MP, the water minister or the minister for planning," Cr Deeth said. "People have cohabited with mining in the shire for a long time but without water we can't live so we need to prioritise and protect our supply."

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