Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability
The Honourable Kate Jones
All coal mines in the Fitzroy River Basin have voluntarily agreed to new conditions to improve the region’s water quality, Climate Change and Sustainability Minister Kate Jones said today.
Ms Jones will visit Rockhampton today to join Member for Rockhampton Robert Schwarten for a meeting with the Fitzroy Water Quality Advisory Group to discuss the coal mines’ new environmental authorities.
Ms Jones said she would also use the meeting to discuss the recent heavy rainfall in central Queensland – the first litmus test of the new authorities.
“I’m advised the discharges that occurred in the past week were all within acceptable limits and all coal mines have been compliant so far,” Ms Jones said.
“The new conditions are working and that’s a good outcome for the people of central Queensland.
“When I addressed the former Fitzroy water group in May last year at the request of Mr Schwarten, I gave my commitment to central Queenslanders that we would have a new regime by the end of the year.
“We were able to achieve that with great cooperation from industry and I’m very keen to now see how the new conditions are going.
“The Department of Environment and Resource Management has worked closely with coal mines and the Queensland Resource Council to introduce new wastewater discharge management and monitoring requirements.
“We now have agreement on a uniformly applied set of wastewater discharge conditions across all 42 coal mines in central Queensland.
“A number of coal mines worked with DERM scientists to collect water quality data to help determine what their discharge limits should be.”
Mr Schwarten said the community could now have greater confidence in how discharged water from coal mines is being regulated, monitored and managed.
“We’ve tightened up the rules around water discharges,” Mr Schwarten said.
“There are now stricter circumstances under which coal mines can discharge, there are clear limits for those discharges and there is a stronger regime of monitoring those discharges.
“It’s seen a lot of technical work and it’s a credit to all involved that we’ve been able to get this outcome in such a short amount of time.”
The changes resulted from a State Government-commissioned report last year into the health of the Fitzroy River following flooding in 2008.
Professor Hart’s report and DERM’s own report on the impacts of coal mining on water quality in Central Queensland highlighted the need for consistent wastewater practices within the region,” she said.
Each mines’ discharge requirements across the Fitzroy Basin were inconsistent and often did not reflect best environmental practice.
40 of the 42 mines have the model conditions in place as part of their licensing requirements with the remaining two currently in the process of finalisation through a statutory public notification process.
This will ensure wastewater management conditions are consistent across the region and will provide ongoing protection of downstream environmental values and water uses.
The Fitzroy Water Quality Advisory Group provides a consultative forum to collect views and information as an input into Government decision-making on water quality issues in the Fitzroy River Basin. Information about water quality projects and issues within the region can be accessed via the website at www.fitzroyriver.qld.gov.au. |
