Toxic metal contamination found in Grose Valley

[Packo]

A very concerning story. I had no idea that we have levels of zinc and nickle over 100 time the safe levels in the Grose.

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3505426.htm

[michael_p]

Thanks Packo, very interesting.

Had a scrounge around and found this Catalyst report from 2008: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2331597.htm. Worth a watch as well.

Cheers,
Michael.

[wildwalks]

Thanks Packo and Michael
I saw this article on the news this morning - not good news.

The regulator says removing the water would be more damaging to the environment than letting the metals leech out over time.

Surly there are many other options like - Filtering the water at the discharge points.
Why is it when a company stops making money from a mine it is OK to pollute.
There are a lot of lessons from this. With a government response like this, I suspect these lessons have not yet taken to heart.

What the company has not done makes me grumpy. But that our government, stands back and sets bad precedents like this is outrageous.

Matt

[Grabeach]

You may also wish to read Dr Wright's chapter in The Upper Grose Valley Bushwalkers Business (Michael Keats & Brian Fox).
Of note that the high levels of heavy metal release were permitted by the 'responsible' government departments at the time. One assumes they didn't know any better.
Also rather ironic that the reduced flow in Hat Hill Ck due to closure of the STW made the concentrations worse.

Graeme

[Dale]

Plan on walking through the Grose on the weekend and this story has give me pause . Would be great to know the location of the mine to figure out where the pollution starts and where it is safer to drink the water (filtered of course).

[Packo]

Would be great to know the location of the mine to figure out where the pollution starts and where it is safer to drink the water (filtered of course).

Not much chance of avoiding it I'm afraid as its right up at the start of the Grose. Just check out a map and get water from tributaries that don't come from built up areas. Here is a Google Map of where the mine is situated.
http://g.co/maps/skfxm

[Dale]

Thanks Packo - much appreciated !

[colinm]

From "Bushwalker's Business" cited above, I understand that the source of the pollution is an uncapped coal mine within the NP precinct, which has been continually gushing zinc-contaminated water into a tributary of the Grose.

Filtering won't work - you can't filter out dissolved metals (btw, I don't think Zinc is a heavy metal.) Boiling won't work. There's nothing you can do to remove the zinc if you're planning to drink it, except perhaps find something which will chemically combine with the zinc to form a non-soluble precipitate, then filter ... good luck finding something less toxic than the zinc you're trying to remove ... I dunno anything about chemistry.

BTW, from aforementioned chapter in cited book, they went looking for this pollution after surveys of the river showed a significant reduction in the number and diversity of invertebrates (like dragonfly nymphs) below the junction of the creek contributing the pollution; and yes, the sewage treatment works actually *decreased* the pollution of the Grose.

Read the book, it's quite good.

[FatCanyoner]

Part of the reason the pollution from the old mine is so bad is that the mine also caused serious cracking of the sandstone above, meaning two creeks have had their beds fractured so their upper flow drains directly into the old mine, picks up the heavy metals, then flows out into the Grose. Given this mine wasn't even long-wall, it makes you realise how damaging coal mines can be in sensitive areas, and how permanent their damage is. The only solution now would be to capture the thousands of litres a day as it flows out, then carry out expensive treatment, which is so expensive and unfeasible it will never happen.
I discovered the issue of the drainage of the upper creeks on a canyoning trip earlier this year (http://fatcanyoners.org/2012/02/16/koombanda-canyon/) and since then have had some very sad feedback about just how extensive the damage has been.
By the way, the same company that ran this mine (and left it gushing polluted water) is now trying to get approval for an open cut mine next to the Gardens of Stone National Park that will open cut pristine bushland right to the base of the pagoda cliffs.

[michael_p]

Found an extra video from the Catalyst program: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2334160.htm.

[michael_p]

And another one: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2342298.htm.

[Grabeach]

A few posts back I noted that, "....... release were permitted by the 'responsible' government departments at the time. One assumes they didn't know any better."
I have just watched the 7:30 Report (NSW) on releases from the Southern Highlands Boral coal mine into the Sydney water supply and the draining of the aquifers. There has now been approval to double the size of the mine.
I guess some still don't know any better.

Graeme

[michael_p]

7:30 Report (NSW) on releases from the Southern Highlands Boral coal mine into the Sydney water supply and the draining of the aquifers.

Video from the 7:30 Report website: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-22/coal-war-rages-in-nsw/4087540