Fitzroy Barra: Coal Mine at Camballin? Fitzroy Barramundi at Risk.
GREAT NEWS!
The proposal to mine for coal has been put on hold by the Environmental Protection Authority. Thank you for all the support which enabled us to put in a detailed submission to the EPA. We were able to get expert advice that asked some very hard questions. Rey Resources has relinquished the rights to the Derby export facility. It is now concentrating on oil and gas. It is unlikely to attempt to mine for coal unless there is a substantial change to the coal price in the future which no one is predicting. It would also have to answer our very difficult questions on the threat to the environment. Thanks to everyone who put a submission in and donated to the campaign.
To find out more about what was being proposed please have a read below. Links to our information sheets:
• Concerns for Derby as a coal export town – Derby coal exports flyer
• What would happen to the fishing in the Fitzroy? – Coal mining at Camballin flyer
• Factsheet on the proposal – Factsheet – coal mine flyer
Rey Resources wants to build a coal mine 4 km from Snake Creek and 5 km from the Camballin barrage, an area renowned for trophy-sized Barramundi. Proposed Rey Resources Coal Mine Project (Map: EK) – click to enlarge.
The tip of the Iceberg? If the mine goes ahead, it could be the first of many coal mines
• Average of 2 million tonnes of coal each year from this mine
• The industry believes there could be billions of tonnes (Rey Resources Investor Presentation October 2009, p.4) of coal under the catchment
• Rey Resources has plans for many more open-cut mines in the catchment, turning the area into a huge coal field! Coal deposits in the area (source: Rey Resources) – click to enlarge
Coalmines Pollute Waterways
• Acid, heavy metals and other chemicals could leach into waterways
• Salts from the mine could be washed into the river, killing fish
• Turbidity – Runoff and erosion could pollute the water in Snake Creek
• Storage ponds – Contaminated water could flood and overflow in the Wet, as has happened in Queensland
• All the unknowns – Scientists don’t know enough about the river and groundwater system to be able to say what effect all this would have
The mine would bring heavy traffic along the Great Northern Highway to Derby
• Road Trains – With the mine in full production, there would be 144 x 100 tonne road train movements a day between the mine site and Derby – that’s one truck every 10 minutes, 24/7
• Dangerous Stockpiles – 70,000 tonnes of coal will be kept in stockpiles up to 10m high next to the Derby boat ramp, risking spontaneous combustion
• Deadly Coal Dust – Smothers sea life and kills mangroves – this could mean the end of safe fishing at the Derby wharf
• Risky Ponds – Sedimentation ponds are designed to handle only a 1 in 10 year storm event, risking contaminated water pouring onto mudflats and into King Sound
• Spillage – Loading the coal onto barges at the Derby Wharf and then onto ships risks further pollution of King Sound
To get in touch with us about the project or if you want more information, please email [email protected] or call us on 9192 1922.