Rio Tinto Fined Over Dam Wall Collapse At Upper Hunter Mine

BY IAN CROUCH

Mining giant, Rio Tinto has been fined $50,000 over the collapse of a dam wall at it's Mount Thorley Warkworth Mine near Singleton.

Hundreds of thousands of litres of water escaped from the dam when the incident occurred in January last year.

The company blamed the collapse on several days of heavy rain.

The Land and Environment Court ruled that while harm from the incident was insubstantial, the failure of the dam was both forseeable and preventable.

On Horseback to Save Wallaby Scrub

BY: GARY-JON LYSAGHT

The tiny Hunter town of Bulga has been fighting a David and Goliath battle with Rio Tinto and its Warkworth mine expansion for years.

The passionate residents have taken the fight with Rio Tinto to the courts twice, and they’ve won twice.

Demonstrators will ride on horseback along Wallaby Scrub Road

The stretch of road was built by the early convicts and has been a heritage listed site for years, but will soon be victim to the mine’s expansion.

In response, 40 members of Bulga will ride by horseback along the road on Saturday in a demonstration against the expansion.

Riders will carry with them a petition to save the road and keep it open, which will then be presented to the Baird Government.

Bulga local Rob McLaughlin is the event organiser and says the road is still used and very important.

“Wallaby Scrub is a much used public road and an essential piece of local infrastructure that must be kept open,” he said.

The demonstration is meant to imitate the early pioneers, as they ride on horseback from Warkworth town through to Broke.

For Rob McLaughlin, the ride is another part of the long battle to save his town.

"The deed of agreement signed back in 2003 between Rio Tinto and the State Government then [said] this area that is now under threat would be left in perpetuity as a buffer zone between the mine and Bulga" he said.

“Now that ministerial deed of agreement was not worth the paper it was written on.”

McLaughlin has said the fight between Bulga and Rio Tinto has taken its toll on residents.

“Been nearly seven years [since their Supreme Court win] and the locals here are absolutely worn out from it,” he said.

The convoy will depart Warkworth Oval at 10am and will ride along Wallaby Scrub Road, before finishing at Macnamara Park in Broke at about 2pm.

[Image Source: OzRoads].

Bulga Residents Heated Over Proposed Mine Expansions

BY BRIDGET GUNN

Two Wonnarua Aboriginal elders have been arrested in a peaceful roadside protest in Bulga.

The protest was against the proposed expansion of the coal mine in Bulga, which would destroy many sites of Aboriginal and European cultural heritage, and would have a large impact on the residents of Bulga.

Source: ABC News

Rob McLaughlin from Bulga says the proposed expansion would destroy the endangered woodland and the Wallaby Scrub Road, part of the Great North Road.

"They are going to destroy a world unique, critically endangered Warkworth Sands Woodland, along with the Wallaby Scrub Road, which is part of the Great North Road, built back in the 1820's."

According to McLaughlin, the residents of Bulga are not going down without a fight.

"Rio Tinto don't know whats hit them," he says.

"The people of Bulga are firm in our resolve, we will be there every day. It is part of our European history and we are not giving up.

"If they need to get the police out every day, they will have to."

Wackworth mine pit aerial
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

The Lock the Gate Alliance Inc Facebook page has received a huge amount of support,with over 60,000 responses.

McLaughlin believes that this is because the public is realising the full national scope of the governments control in issues such as that in Bulga.

"It's not just about this little tiny place called Bulga, it's a bigger question. It's about peoples rights in New South Wales to protect their environment and their homes."

For more information see https://www.facebook.com/Lock.The.Gate.Alliance/

EPA Continues Bengalla Investigation

The Environment Protection Authority is continuing its investigations in to the Rio Tinto owned Bengalla mine, near Musswellbrook.

The overflow follows heavy rainfall in the Hunter earlier this month.

EPA officers began interviews on Monday, while also carrying out an inspection and gathering water and sediment samples for testing.

So far, no pollution to water sources has been found.

EPA Hunter General Manger, Adam Gilligan says both parties have been able to coperate.

"Our officers worked with the mine on Monday and were pleased to see that they commenced dewatering of those dams so that they could get the water levels down.

"Particularly that's important before any further rainfall or storm event that might cause further overflowing."

A section of Bengalla's sediment dam

The EPA have also confirmed they are looking for additional information from the mine operator, including monitoring records and incident response details.

It's the third Hunter mine this month which has seen overflowing, with Warkworth mine (also Tinto owned) and Wambo mine being investigated for potential pollution.

"Certainly [it's] a concern to us that we've had a spade of these issues arising following the recent heavy rainfall" said Mr. Gilligan.

"What concern's us is making sure the sediment dames, etc on mine sites are constructed properly."

Image courtesy of John Crey, via The Singleton Argus (LINK).

Bulga and Rio Tinto Battle Continues

Bulga residents have accused the government of colluding with Rio Tinto to expand the Mount Thorley Walkworth mine.

Rio Tinto lodged an application on November 12 to expand the mine into Saddle Ridge, the natural barrier between Bulga and the mine.

Previously Rio Tinto planned to expand the Walkworth mine to within 2.6 kilometres of Bugla. After challenges from local group, Bulgra Mibrodale Progress Association, the application was over turned by the NSW Land and Mineral Association and is currently being challenged in the Supreme Court by Rio Tinto and NSW Government.

John Krey, vice president of the BMPA, said that the move is a breach of faith.

“The deed in 2003 and the Land and Environment court says they can’t touch [Saddle Ridge],” he said.

The New South Wales Minerals Council claim the expansion has received over 900 positive submissions.

Mr Krey said claims the positive submissions where the result of a marketing campaign by Rio Tinto and the Minerals Councils.

“You can tell the same lie 900 times but that doesn’t make the truth,” Mr Krey said, “we’re only a small town of 350 people; we don’t have the financial resources to do a campaign that the Minerals Councils and Rio Tinto have. So, yeah, they got a lot of submissions but you’ve got to look at the meat of the submission, and I think if you look at the submissions that said ‘no’ to the mine you’ll find there’s a lot of meat in that.”