31 March 2025
Nature Conservation Council NSW (NCC), the state's leading environmental advocacy organisation, has called on Centennial Coal to clean up its act as the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has today approved the transfer of polluted water to a dam that discharges into Sydney's drinking water supply.
This is a temporary solution to a problem that needs an ecologically responsible and scientifically robust long term fix. The IPC has noted the lack of a closed loop system, with discharged water entering the Sydney drinking water catchment.
"Centennial Coal has deliberately left it to the last moment to alert regulators that it will need an alternative solution to managing wastewater," said Jacqui Mills, Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner at Nature Conservation Council of NSW.
The Mount Piper power station will be offline for maintenance in April and May, meaning it can't take Centennial's wastewater for use in its cooling towers.
"Thanks to community opposition, this is a 'less bad' outcome than what was originally proposed: to dump the dirty water into the dam over a 15-year period, yet the situation could still have been avoided," said Ms Mills.
"We know that Centennial Coal has enough underground water storage capacity. They've chosen to pollute instead, and the regulator has let them get away with it.
"Dirty water discharge will far exceed ANZECC water quality standards for salt, which is toxic to species like platypus.
"It's not good enough and the ecologically sensitive areas around this destructive coal mine need better protection.
"The Springvale Water Treatment Plant was meant to be the solution to Centennial Coal's dirty water problem. We know now that it is not sufficient to treat the huge volumes of water generated by Centennial Coal's intensive coal mine methods damaging aquifers in the pristine environment adjacent to the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area.
"This pollution is just the tip of the iceberg. There are millions of litres of wastewater stored underground in Centennial coal mines, and they are waiting for an opportunity to dump the lot into the river to enable mine expansion.
"This must not be allowed.
"We are calling for an urgent independent public inquiry into Centennial Coal's operations in the Gardens of Stone area to protect our water, environment and health."
