Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Coal Mine Water Pollution and Ecological Impairment of One of Australia’s Most ‘Protected’ High Conservation-Value Rivers

  • Published:
Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The environmental regulation of a coal mine in the greater Sydney area has failed to recognise the importance of and protect a high conservation-value river located in a World Heritage listed area. This study measured the water quality and ecological health (using macroinvertebrates) of the Wollangambe River and its tributaries near the point of the waste water discharge of a coal mine and assessed the longitudinal impact for 22 km downstream. The investigation revealed two important aspects. The first is the significant impact of the waste water discharge when compared to the otherwise near-pristine condition of the high conservation-value river system. The second is the spatial extent of the pollution from the mine that extends at least 22 km downstream from the outflow of coal mine wastes. The resulting water pollution is causing major impairment of the aquatic ecosystem, with reduced abundance, taxonomic richness and loss of pollution-sensitive macroinvertebrate groups. Water pollution from the mine includes thermal pollution, increased salinity and increased concentrations of zinc and nickel. The mine’s waste discharge also strongly modified the river’s ionic composition. The study also highlights the failure of the regulatory and governance systems that enable the mine to operate in a manner that causes major environmental impacts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ANZECC (Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council). (2000). Australian and New Zealand guidelines for fresh and marine waters. Canberra: Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • APHA (American Public Health Association). (1998). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (20th ed.). Washington, DC: American Public Health Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ashton, P. (2010). The demise of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) as a keystone species for aquatic ecosystem conservation in South Africa: the case of the Olifants. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 20, 489–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Australian Commonwealth Government (2013). Matters of national environmental significance. Significant impact guidelines 1.1 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/42f84df4-720b-4dcf-b262-48679a3aba58/files/nes-guidelines_1.pdf. Accessed10 September 2016.

  • Australian Government (1998). The Greater Blue Mountains area: World Heritage nomination. Commonwealth Government of Australia and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/50d276f9-337f-4d9f-85f5-120ded99fc85/files/gbm-nomination.pdf. Accessed10 September 2016.

  • Banks, D., Younger, P. L., Arnesen, R.-T., Iversen, E. R., & Banks, S. B. (1997). Mine-water chemistry: the good, the bad and the ugly. Environmental Geology, 32, 157–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbour, M. T., Plafkin, J. L., Bradley, B. P., Graves, C. G., & Wisseman, R. W. (1992). Evaluation of EPA’s rapid bioassessment benthic metrics: metric redundancy and variability among reference stream sites. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 11, 437–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battaglia, M., Hose, G. C., Turak, E., & Warden, B. (2005). Depauperate macroinvertebrates in a mine affected stream: clean water may be the key to recovery. Environmental Pollution, 138, 132–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Birch, G., Siaka, M., & Owens, C. (2001). The source of anthropogenic heavy metals in fluvial sediments of a rural catchment: Coxs River, Australia. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 126, 13–35.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Belmer, N., Tippler, C., Davies, P. J., & Wright, I. A. (2014). Impact of a coal mine waste discharge on water quality and aquatic ecosystems in the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. In G. Viets, I. D. Rutherfurd, & R. Hughes (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th australian stream management conference (pp. 385–391). Townsville: the River Basin Management Society.

  • Brake, S. S., Connors, K. A., & Romberger, S. B. (2001). A river runs through it: impact of acid mine drainage on the geochemistry of West Little Sugar Creek pre- and post-reclamation at the Green Valley coal mine, Indiana, USA. Environmental Geology, 40, 1471–1481.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Centennial Coal (1999). Clarence colliery proposed water management scheme. Unpublished report, March. Prepared by International Environmental Consultants Pty. Ltd. Centennial Coal, Sydney.

  • Centennial Coal (2000). Clarence colliery—lease extension. Environmental impact statement. Unpublished reported, October. Prepared by International Environmental Consultants Pty. Ltd. Centennial Coal, Sydney.

  • Chessman, B. C. (1995). Rapid assessment of rivers using macroinvertebrates: a procedure based on habitat-specific sampling, family level identification and a biotic index. Australian Journal of Ecology, 20, 122–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K. R. (1993). Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Australian Journal of Ecology, 18, 117–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clements, W. H., Carlisle, D. M., Lazorchak, J. M., & Johnson, P. C. (2000). Heavy metals structure benthic communities in Colorado mountain streams. Ecological Applications, 10, 626–638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, D. (2002). Best practice mine water management at a coal mine operation in the Blue Mountains. Masters of Engineering (Honours) thesis, University of Western Sydney, Penrith.

  • Corkum, L. D. (1989). Patterns of benthic invertebrate assemblages in rivers of north western North America. Freshwater Biology, 21, 191–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cremin, A. (1989). The growth of an industrial valley: Lithgow, New South Wales. Australian Historical Archaeology, 7, 35–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durand, J. F., Meeuvis, J., & Fourie, M. (2010). The threat of mine effluent to the UNESCO status of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 6, 73–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EPA (NSW Environment Protection Authority) (2015). Variation to an environment protection licence for Clarence Colliery. http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/licensing/clarence-colliery.htm. Accessed 17 January 2017.

  • EPA (NSW Environment Protection Authority). (2016). Search for environment protection licences. http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/prpoeoapp/default.aspx. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  • Fairweather, P. G. (1990). Sewage and the biota on seashores: assessment of impact in relation to natural variability. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 14, 197–210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • García-Criado, F., Tomé, A., Vega, F. J., & Antolín, C. (1999). Performance of some diversity and biotic indices in rivers affected by coal mining in northwestern Spain. Hydrobiologia, 394, 209–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, K., & Wright, I. A. (2012). The potential and reality of the environment protection licensing system in NSW: the case of water pollution. Environmental Planning and Law Journal, 29, 359–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, D. P., & Harding, J. S. (2012). Acid Mine Drainage Index (AMDI): a benthic invertebrate biotic index for assessing coal mining impacts in New Zealand streams. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 46, 335–352.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, M. B., Norton, S. B., Alexander, L. C., Pollard, A. I., & LeDuc, S. D. (2012). The effects of mountaintop mines and valley fills on the physicochemical quality of stream ecosystems in the central Appalachians: a review. Science of the Total Environment, 417–418, 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, J., Heijnis, H., & Caprarelli, G. (2003). Historical pollution variability from abandoned mine sites, Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, New South Wales, Australia. Environmental Geology, 43, 680–687.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, B. T., & McKelvie, I. D. (1986). Chemical limnology in Australia. In W. D. Williams & P. P. De Deckker (Eds.), Limnology in Australia (pp. 3–31). Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hawking, J. H. (2000). A preliminary guide to keys and zoological information to identify invertebrates from Australian freshwaters. Identification Guide No. 2 (2nd ed.). Albury: Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hickey, C. W., & Clements, W. H. (1998). Effects of heavy metals on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in New Zealand streams. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 17, 2338–2346.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huleatt, M. B. (1991). Handbook of australian black coals: geology, resources, seam properties and product specifications. Bureau of mineral resources, geology and geophysics. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.

  • Jarvis, A. P., & Younger, P. L. (1997). Dominating chemical factors in mine water induced impoverishment of the invertebrate fauna of two streams in the Durhan Coalfield, UK. Chemistry and Ecology, 13, 249–270.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. B. (2003). Chemical and microbiological characteristics of mineral spoils and drainage waters at abandoned coal and metal mines. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 3, 47–66.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. B., & Hallberg, K. B. (2005). Acid mine drainage remediation options: a review. Science of the Total Environment, 338, 3–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Keith, D. A., & Benson, D. H. (1988). Natural vegetation of the Katoomba area. Cunninghamia, 2, 107–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, A. J., Cherry, D. S., & Zipper, C. E. (2005). Evaluation of ionic contribution to the toxicity of a coal-mine effluent using Cerodaphnia dubia. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 49, 155–162.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lattuada, R. M., Menezes, C. T. B., Pavei, P. T., Peralba, M. C. R., & Dos Santos, J. H. Z. (2009). Determination of metals by total reflection X-ray fluorescence and evaluation of toxicity of a river impacted by coal mining in the south of Brazil. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 163, 531–537.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lenat, D. R. (1988). Water quality assessment of streams using a qualitative collection method for benthic macroinvertebrates. Bulletin of the North American Benthological Society, 7, 222–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lenat, D. R., & Penrose, D. L. (1996). History of the EPT taxa richness metric. Bulletin of the North American Benthological Society, 13, 305–307.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macqueen, A. (1997) Back from the brink: Blue gum forest and the Grose wilderness. Self-published. Bee Farm Road, Springwood.

  • Merriam, E. R., Petty, J. T., Merovich, G. T., Jr., Fulton, J. B., & Strager, M. P. (2011). Additive effects of mining and residential development on stream conditions in a central Appalachian watershed. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 30, 399–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metzeling, L., Perriss, S., & Robinson, D. (2006). Can the detection of salinity and habitat simplification gradients using rapid bioassessment of benthic invertebrates be improved through finer taxonomic resolution or alternatives indices? Hydrobiologia, 572, 235–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NSW OEH (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage) (2015a). Canyon Colliery discharge investigation. Office of Environment and Heritage: 59 Goulburn Street Sydney NSW 2000. http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/resources/licensing/150171-clarence-colliery-discharge-investigation.pdf. Accessed 17 January 2017.

  • NSW OEH) (NSW Office of Environment and Heritage) (2015b). Wild rivers. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parktypes/wildrivers.htm. Accessed 9 September 2016.

  • Plafkin, J. L., Barbour, M. T., Porter, K. D., Grosse, S. K., & Hughes, R. M. (1989). Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and rivers: benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Washington DC: United States Environmental Protection Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pond, G. J., Passmore, M. E., Borsuk, F. A., Reynolds, L., & Rose, C. (2008). Downstream effects of mountaintop coal mining: comparing biological conditions using family- and Genus-level macroinvertebrate bioassessment tools. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 27, 717–737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, P., & Wright, I. A. (2016). Water quality impact from the discharge of coal mine wastes to receiving streams: comparison of impacts from an active mine with a closed mine. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution. doi:10.1007/s11270-016-2854-7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pringle, C. M. (2001). Hydrologic connectivity and the management of biological reserves: a global perspective. Ecological Applications, 11, 981–998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resh, V. H., & Jackson, J. K. (1993). Rapid assessment approaches to biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates. In D. M. Winter & V. H. Resh (Eds.), Freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates (pp. 195–223). Chapman & Hall: New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, D. M., & Resh, V. H. (1993). Freshwater biomonitoring and benthic macroinvertebrates. New York: Chapman & Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scullion, J., & Edwards, R. W. (1980). The effects of coal industry pollutants on the macroinvertebrate fauna of a small river in the South Wales coalfield. Freshwater Biology, 10, 141–162.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tippler, C., Wright, I. A., & Hanlon, A. (2012). Is catchment imperviousness a keystone factor degrading urban waterways? A case study from a partly urbanised catchment (Georges River, south-eastern Australia). Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 223, 5331–5344.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Underwood, A. J. (1991). Beyond BACI: experimental designs for detecting human environmental impacts on temporal variations in natural populations. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 42, 569–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2009). Greater Blue Mountains area. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/917/. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  • UNESCO (2015). Fossil hominid sites of South Africa, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/915. Accessed 10 September 2016.

  • Verb, R. G., & Vis, M. L. (2000). Comparison of benthic diatom assemblages from streams draining abandoned and reclaimed coal mines and non-impacted sites. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 19, 274–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warwick, R. M. (1993). Environmental impact studies on marine communities: pragmatical considerations. Australian Journal of Ecology, 18, 63–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weis, S. (2014). The local and world-wide impact of mining Alaska’s coal. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 56, 25–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NP&WS (NSW National Parks and Wildlife) (2001a). Blue Mountains National Park plan of management. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/pomfinalbluemountains.pdf. Accessed 9 September 2016.

  • NP&WS (NSW National Parks and Wildlife) (2001b). Wollemi national park plan of management. http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/parks/pomFinalWollemi.pdf. Accessed 9 September 2016.

  • Winterbourn, M. J. (1998). Insect faunas of acidic coal mine drainages in Westland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Entomology, 21, 65–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, I. A. (2012). Coal mine ‘dewatering’ of saline wastewater into NSW streams and rivers: a growing headache for water pollution regulators. In J.R. Grove, & I.D. Rutherfurd (Eds). Proceedings of the 6th Australian Stream Management Conference: Managing for Extremes, 6–8 February, 2012, Canberra, Australia, (pp 206–213). Published by the River Basin Management Society.

  • Wright, I. A., & Burgin, S. (2009a). Comparison of sewage and coal-mine wastes on stream macroinvertebrates within an otherwise clean upland catchment, south-eastern Australia. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, 204, 227–241.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, I. A., & Burgin, S. (2009b). Effects of organic and heavy-metal pollution on chironomids within a pristine upland catchment. Hydrobiologia, 635, 15–25.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, I. A., & Ryan, M. (2016). Impact of mining and industrial pollution on stream macroinvertebrates: importance of taxonomic resolution, water geochemistry and EPT indices for impact detection. Hydrobiologia, 772, 103–115.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, I. A., Chessman, B. C., Fairweather, P. G., & Benson, L. J. (1995). Measuring the impact of sewage effluent on the macroinvertebrate community of an upland stream: the effect of different levels of taxonomic resolution and quantification. Australian Journal of Ecology, 20, 142–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, I.A., Wright S.A., Graham, K., & Burgin, S. (2011). Environmental protection and management: a water pollution case study within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Land Use Policy, 28, 353–360.

  • Wright, I. A., McCarthy, B., Belmer, N., & Price, P. (2015). Subsidence from an underground coal mine and mine wastewater discharge causing water pollution and degradation of aquatic ecosystems. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, 226, 1–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Younger, P. L. (2004). Environmental impacts of coal mining and associated wastes: a geochemical perspective. Geological Society, 236, 169–209.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science and Health, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2751, Australia

    Ian A. Wright & Nakia Belmer

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, 2109, NSW, Australia

    Peter J. Davies

Authors
  1. Ian A. Wright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nakia Belmer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter J. Davies
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian A. Wright.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wright, I.A., Belmer, N. & Davies, P.J. Coal Mine Water Pollution and Ecological Impairment of One of Australia’s Most ‘Protected’ High Conservation-Value Rivers. Water Air Soil Pollut 228, 90 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3278-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3278-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation