Bowdens Silver

After buying in the area i had no idea of a mine to go ahead so close to my house im not keen on the afect on my houses value nor the physical affects on me or my family let alone the native animals or am i keen on the idea that my now peaceful drive to and from work will be congested like ulan rd is at the coal mine change overs means more time getting to and from work less value of my house and health risks and enviromental impacts please explain to me how i or anyone else will benifit from this mine ?

My family and I have visited the Lue district over many years. It's a beautiful part of Australia's countryside. A silver mine in this area would be devastating for the landscape and pollute the waterways, jeopardizing the health of wildlife and community members. Please do not allow the Bowdens Silver mine to go ahead for the benefit of not only the local people living in the Lue village but for us all. Keep it in its pristine state for us all to enjoy both now and in the future.

I am absolutely opposed to Bowdens silver mine, to the piping of water from Mullarbin coal mine, to the creation of a tailings dam, to trucks going through Mudgee, to further destruction of the environment and people's lives. When is this government going to think about the future of the world and join the renewables revolution.
The Premier has done a very good job handling the Covid-19 crisis but I would like her to show similar for foresight in not giving her approval to this bad mine.

As a regular visitor and potential resident of the Lue area i will be devastated if this Bowdens Silver project goes ahead. We spend alot of time in the area as my husband travels there regularly for work. The health implications could be dire, especially for my young children. The impacts of the toxic outputs from the project could last a lifetime and the costs of these financially and emotionally would be immeasurable (both personally and for those responsible should this poorly considered project go ahead). The health implications are my greatest concern but i am also deeply worried about the ecological impacts this mine could have, especially on our endangered species. PLEASE for the sake of my and many other families, and our incredibly special flora and fauna, do not let the Bowdens Silver project ahead.

I appreciate the opportunity to make a submission regarding the Bowdens Silver Project.

I am a resident of Mudgee and concerned about several aspects of this project.
Despite what Bowdens say this is a lead/zinc mine. Silver makes up a mere 0.5% of the recoverable material mined.
Bowdens advertisement in the Mudgee Guardian of July 10 misleads by quoting projected revenue figures for the project, which obviously places silver at the top of the revenue table, but ignores the minute amount it earns relevant to the total mine output. Regardless of whatever is being mined, no mine should be allowed to operate 2km from a population centre. A mine extracting lead bearing material that distance from a school must never be allowed to operate. The threat to the health of children is extreme.
The plan to divert water from the Ulan Coal mine will rob the Goulburn River of a supply vital to its health, and must not be allowed to proceed.
Toxic run-off from tailings and acid bearing waste rock will have detrimental effects on water and land in the adjacent areas.
The transport of material through Lue and Mudgee by road will pose additional risks to people, property, agricultural production and infrastructure.
The often promoted, and usually discounted, claim for jobs generation cannot be relied on.
This project must not be allowed to proceed.

As a farmer in the Lue District I think you should consider the environmental aspects of the mine site and the EIS from Bowden's has clearly shown that the tailings dam is not up to world standard being at 1.2 and the minimum standard being 2 for holding the required materials from leaching out into the the creeks below.
I also think that you should consider the future implications that this mine site will have on our under ground water supply both during mining and for ever after.
I think you need to consider and think about the health aspects of the Lue village and the local community surrounding the village.
I think you need to consider the affect lead dust could have on the agricultural sector as we are farmers who grow crops to produce protein e.g. lamb and beef.
What happens if the lead dust and other dust particles from the mine site get into the animals through consumption via eating the crops that we have sown, and they are rejected from the abattoirs??
What do we and our future farmers do then

I wish to make a submission of objection to Bowdens Silver Mine, a huge open-cut lead, zinc and silver mine 2km from the small village of Lue.
The expected production of this project is zinc 67%, lead 42%, and silver 1%. The choosing of the name “Silver Mine” itself raises questions. Perhaps it is to keep quiet about the amount of lead to be extracted.
We are very familiar with the adverse health effects of lead toxicity: how its extensive use has caused widespread contamination, exposure and major public health concerns. The World Health Organisation has stated that there is no safe level of exposure to lead, that lead is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children.
This will be a real problem for schools and residents of our regional towns as the trucks carry their toxic loads of lead and silver to rail heads. Lue primary school is only 2 kms from the proposed mine site, and other schools and residential areas will be in danger if this project goes ahead.
I would now like to talk of the proposed tailings dam.
The proposed dam will cover 117 hectares with a 56m high wall with no secondary wall. Leakage from the tailings dam probably will not be identified until it has already escaped, adding cyanide, cadmium, arsenic, zinc and lead into the environment. The dam will be less than 1km from Lawson Creek which joins the Cudgegong at Mudgee, which flows on to join the Macquarie and the Murray- Darling Basin. It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to pinpoint the source of these leaks once they have occurred, making remediation a problem. Do we really want these toxic substances in Australia’s Food Bowl? What happens when the dam collapses, as it did in Brazil? The affected community is now taking Rio Tinto to court.
Now I wish to discuss the Ulan to Lue Pipeline.
This is a proposal to take up to 5.5 ML per day of water from Ulan and Moolarben Coal Mines and transfer it via a 60km pipeline to the Bowden Silver Mine. The excess coal water is in fact original and valuable groundwater from the Goulburn/Hunter catchment, (and surface water from the area when it rains). This water is absolutely critical for the health and viability of the Goulburn/Hunter catchments. We are already seeing prolonged droughts from climate change so the top priority for the water is to maintain environmental flows when the river is at great stress, when it’s needed. Landowners dependent on bores are already experiencing significant loss of groundwater as a result of these two coalmines.
The Bowden Silver Mine will create toxic risks, and the Ulan/Moolarben pipeline to Lue will also come at an enormous cost. Our environment and our communities will suffer if this project proceeds. Please refuse the project.

Please find attached my submission, outlining my objection to the proposal as it currently stands.
In particular, the lighting will have a significant detrimental effect on our Designated Observatory, and other astronomers (professional and amateur) in the region.

Living in the Kandos/ Rylstone area some 20+ years, my 2 children have had no option to but to relocate to a larger town and to Sydney for employment.
The closure of industries in this area has effected our towns greatly, with many families now socio-economically disadvantaged, vacant shops can be seen as you drive through town.
Our area will benefit greatly with the Bowdens' Silver Mine.
Employees sourced locally will in put money back into this area, keep family dynamics' as a whole, maintain Schools, Health and help and most importantly help Close the Gap with the Indigenous in our Area

I would like this project to go ahead. Chiefly because it is in a first world juristiction where environmental monitoring and enforcement are some of the best in the world.
Australia is a relatively uncorrupt society which will have a large demand for renewable energy, requiring 16tonnes of silver per GW of solar produced.

This project can stand to benefit not only Austrlalians but globally assist in maintining available metal supply to avert larger predicted global catastrpohies and supporty the development of engery supplies in developing countries. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/energy

Not approving this project may deny future generations the opportunities to an affordable renewable future. Additionally one way to redress the economic burdens of education/housing/training, unfairly placed on youth today is to provide employment in viable industries where they can also rely on their local support networks. Locally this project provides diversification of income to regions that are susceptable to drought and enables farmers to stay on their farms by providing diverse employment oppotunites who in tern support regional Australian businesses in times of need.

I am writing this submission in support of Bowdens' Silver Mine. I have resided in the Rylstone/Kandos area all my life and have slowly watched the industries dwindle.
Jobs lost and families having to leave the area in search of other employment. This mining industry will have great benefits for many people in the local area with stability of employment, which will economically benefit our local businesses.
I have been a miner for 33 years and witnessed best practice methods to limit environmental damage on the country side. Bowdens' will be supervised by strict government regulations set in place to limit the environmental impact to both flora and fauna within the designated mine site.

I believe the Bowdens Silver Project will have negligible environmental effects while providing significant economic effect and substantial job creation. They have also shown their great support for the local communities.

I object to the project

Bowdens have called this proposed mine a "Silver Mine", my understanding is Silver will be less that 1% of the output, why not call it a Zinc and Lead mine, as they are the 2
largest components to be mined? The residents of Lue, Mudgee and beyond will be left with disastrous levels of dangerous chemicals, dust pollution, water contamination via nearby Lawson Creek, which flows into the Cudgegong River and then Burrendong Dam AND as I understand they do not intend to fill in the gaping hole approx. 1.5km wide and 300 m deep, when the mine has exhausted it's financial life. The Lead output is approx. 42%, Lead was removed from paint many decades again because of its dangerous health effects on babies and young children. What possible contamination of meat produced by nearby farmers can be expected?
Bowdens claim they will suppress dust levels using water piped from Coal Mines at Ulan - will that be treated before being piped to Lue OR will that water be contaminated from Coal extraction mining, further destroying the health of nearby Lue Residents AND children from the district who attend the school in the village?
I live in a rural area and know only too well how noise, vibration and dust can travel, DO NOT inflict this on the residents of Lue OR the nearby scenic, tranquill, tourist hub of Mudgee.