Bowdens Silver

I object to this proposal on the following grounds
1. The proposal will produce an unacceptable amount of dust in the mining process and the dust, containing dangerous levels of heavy metals will travel many kilometres and endanger health of local residents.
2. There will be acid mine drainage due to mining of heavy metal sulphides and this will cause heavy metal pollution of Lawson Creek for tens of kilometres.
3. The project requires a pipeline extracting water from an already heavily harvested waterway, the Goulburn River.
4. The project will place large numbers of trucks on the Rylstone-Lue-Mudgee Road which poses an unacceptable risk to other local road users on a rural road which is unsuitable for large volumes of heavy vehicles.
5. The mine is only a few kilometres from a public school and dust and noise pollution will endanger the health of students.
6. The mine is situated in the midst of known koala habitat.
7. For the amount of risk to health of people and environment, there is little compensation in terms of local employment.

My name is David White, I am a 27-year-old male engineer living in Sydney with a large amount of Family in the Lue area and most of my childhood spent in the neighbouring farms to this proposed disastrous mine.

The reasons why I object to this proposal are
1. This mine is 2km from the Lue township and a primary school
2. The mine will produce 95000 tonnes of lead - a highly toxic mineral. There is no safe level to exposure of lead especially for children and this mine is just 2kms from Lue School. Lead is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems.
3. The mine will operate 24 hours a day seven days a week with blasting allowed 6 days a week - this is totally unacceptable and reasonable for the residents of Lue
4. A deadly cyanide processing plant will operate on site.
5. A highly toxic large tailings dam will be constructed less than a kilometre from Lawson Creek and will be there FOREVER long after the mine has been abandoned - these dams have been known to fail. The result would be an environmental disaster for Lawson Creek which feeds into the Cudgegong River at Mudgee. It will pollute our water supply forever. Tailings dams regularly fail around the world, in fact there 23 tailings dams have failed in the world in the last five years including the dam at Newcrest Mining’s Cadia Gold Mine near Orange NSW.
6. 227000 tonnes of ore will be trucked along the winding and narrow Lue Road through Mudgee town ship. Our local road is already very busy and quite dangerous as people drive too fast for the road’s conditions. Many people from Rylstone use Lue Road to commute to Mudgee and beyond for work. Currently B Double Trucks are restricted yet I believe that ore will be moved by B Double Trucks. The road must be upgraded significantly should the mine go ahead.
7. The water level in Lawson Creek will drop by one metre rendering much of the Creek dry for all other users. Bowdens Mine will use more water from the Lawson Creek catchment than all current users combined.
8. Ground water levels on the mine site will drop by 25 metres. The open cut pit will continue to draw on ground water for up to 100 years after the mine has been abandoned.
9. The mine will produce two massive dumps of 56 million tonnes of acid forming rock and tailings (crushed ore remnants post processing) above the water table and local creek catchments of Price Creek, Hawkins Creek and Lawson Creek. 26 million tonnes of rock is PAF potentially acid forming which will be stacked over the water catchment covering 77 hectares. These waste dumps will most likely leach into our water table and the surrounding catchment.
10. Over 16 years to extract ore 43,700 tonnes of chemicals will be added (EIS S2.7.3 Reagent Management, Table 2.4, p2-37) to process the ore including 2850 tonnes of Sodium Cyanide. Many of the chemicals are toxic and will end up in the tailings dam along with 30 millions of crushed ore remnants which is 117 ha. This will sit above Lawson Creek catchment forever. Tailings Dams regularly fail around the world. Newcrest’s Cadia Gold Mine at Orange failed in March 2018 – 1.33 million cubic metres of tailings escaped to be contained within another tailings dam on the mine site. I believe it was caused by an earthquake. Bowdens does not plan to have a second tailings dam should the first one fail. I recommend they have a second tailings dam for safety.
11. Tailings dams fail during significant rain events. We have rain records showing 225 mls overnight in February 2002 which caused major destruction in the Lawson Creek catchment. We regularly have large floods in Lawson Creek which dissipate very quickly. Bowdens would be subject to the same variations and suffer the consequences of extreme rain events.
12. The economics of this mine do not add up. (EIS Vol 5, Part 16C_ Closure Cover Design, Appendix A, p.24) Assumed silver price in the EIS is US$20.91/oz, (EIS S 4, Table 4.84 Key Assumptions Underpinning the Economic Assessment, p. 4-373) over the last 5 years the silver price has never reached this level and if production costs increase, the mine will be even less viable. A financially unviable mine represents an even greater threat as they may look for ways to cut corners which could affect safety.
13. The mine cannot source enough water locally so is relying on water from Ulan or Moolarben mines via a 58km pipeline through mostly private farm land, this supply has not been guaranteed and most likely will only be available when seasons are good - in drought those mines will not have excess water. (EIS S2.10 Water Supply p.2 -62)
14. 5-16 tonnes of explosives and oxidising agents will be transported along Lue Road (EIS S2.4.3.2 Drill and Blast P2-23)
15. Bowdens does not offer a suitable plan for rehabilitation of the mine. When the mine closes the tailings dam and all the PAF will remain forever.
16. The mine covers areas habituated by koalas and Regent Honeyeater. It is also has Grey Box Grassy Woodland which will be destroyed by the mine.

I hope that you consider my submission and others prior to reaching your decision. The mine is a short-term benefit for an area which many others hope to sustain throughout the long term for future generations. The area will continue to grow and does not need something as destructive as this mine.

Regards,
David White

Although I live in Sydney, I often visit Mudgee to stay with good friends who have a large farm on the Lawson Creek just west of the village of Lue. My friends alerted me to the proposal for Bowdens Mine and this is my response to the Environmental Impact Statement.

The mine will produce two dumps of 56 million tonnes of acid forming waste rock and tailings. 26 million tonnes of this rock is Potential Acid Forming. This dump sits in the catchment of Lawson Creek and above the water table.

Acid Mine Drainage AMD is a serious world- wide environmental issue. It occurs when a sulphide metal deposit is exposed to air during mining, a bacteria breaks down the sulphide metals to sulphuric acid which then liberates heavy metals such as zinc, copper and cadmium. These heavy metals are highly toxic and can leach into ground water and creeks. Iron sulphide ore is widespread at Bowdens.

Bowdens does not present AMD as an issue that applies to them. Bowdens maintains that if leaching occurs it will only make waterways dirty.

Water to operate the mine will come from the open cut pit (ground water), surface water (from Lawson Creek catchment) and Moolarben and Ulan mine via a 58km pipeline. Moolarben is a water deficit mine and can only operate using a water sharing agreement with Ulan. Water they buy from Ulan is highly saline and can only be used for roads. I question whether Bowdens has an agreement with these mines. Water will only be available during times of high rainfall. What may be available is highly saline.

Lue will be a dangerous and unpleasant place to live after the mining commences. Lead mining will render tank water unsafe to drink and make the town dangerous for its children. There is no safe level of exposure to lead. The village and its surrounding rural residents will require reticulated water as their ground water will be depleted and contaminated.

I strongly object to Bowdens Mine going ahead.

See Attached.
The location of this lead zinc silver mine proposal and potential impacts to water resources, community health and local tourism makes is unsuitable for the Mudgee Region

The attached document outlines my argument as to why the proposal for the Bowdens Silver Project should be rejected. It focuses on the huge loss of native vegetation, including 180 hectares of critically endangered Box-Gum grassy woodland. This is a habitat which in turn supports critically endangered wildlife and is a haven for an Australian icon - the Koala. I argue that in light of the recent bushfires and drastically reduced Koala populations, any proposed clearing of Koala habitat should be immediately rejected.

I was shocked to learn about the Bowdens Silver mine in the Mudgee area.

I acknowledge this opportunity to make a submission in response to the EIS put forward by Silver Mines Limited for the proposal of Bowdens Silver Project at Lue.

I strongly oppose this proposal as the environmental impacts, particularly water usage and contamination and associated health risks that are a product of the mining operations far outweigh the benefits of the project, if any.

I am very concerned about the ground water usage and model put forward in the EIS. The groundwater model is based off the assumption that there is an infinite supply of water from the Lawsons creek to be used for mining operations. This is clearly a concern. Additionally, I am very concerned that this model, which proposes to use 1875 megalitres of water per year, and will predominantly be groundwater sourced from the mine site, will no doubt severely impact the springs and bores in Lue and surrounds.

The information put forward in the EIS regarding the Tailings Storage Dam is very problematic as it is inevitable that the contents of the dam, being toxic waste, will contaminate the water ways and environment in the region. In fact, it is designed to leach into the soil. This is a significant issue because thousands of tonnes of chemicals are in the tailings dam and there is not enough evidence to suggest that it will not leak.

In summary, this is the wrong mine in the wrong place. It will destroy the water table, poison the community, significantly degrade the environment and demonstrates significant inexperience by Silver Mines Limited who have put forward vague analysis and modelling for such a large and dangerous operation.

Thankyou, Jack

I am a third-generation resident of the Lue Rylstone area. I conduct an agricultural business producing wool, sheep meat and beef which my family has done for the past 100 years. With the next generation ready to continue the operation into the future.
We have 2 full time employees and utilize the services of many contracting businesses on a regular basis as well as locally purchasing considerable volumes of agricultural supplies and contributing significantly to Mid-western Regional Council through rates.
For some time, I have been aware of the proposed Bowdens Silver and Lead Mine but knew little of the venture until the release of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
This EIS raises, but does not adequately address many alarming issues with the potential to have a devastating effect on the lifestyle, productivity, environmental and social wellbeing of our area.
It appears that Lead and acid bearing rock will be the major product of this mining operation both of which are will cause serious health and environmental issues if mined. While the EIS addresses both these products it falls well short of providing an adequate nor safe solution.
The toxic contaminated waste water produced by this mine is to be stored in dams that are likely to overflow into district waterways in heavy rain events causing not just local but major downstream pollution of the inland river systems. These dams are constructed on small rock fault lines which have the potential to leak into the underground aquafers.
There is also reference to the water requirement for this development. Locally this water is not available and hence is being piped from the Ulan Mine. This water being piped is already contaminated in the previous mining process and will eventually enter the waterways.
Lead dust is a known toxin and will be produced and widely spread as a result of this mine. This will have serious health effects on local residents, impact on the food safety of locally produced product and harm the native flora and fauna.
The noise produced by this mine will also adversely affect the local community and will the extra traffic on district roads.
The Lue area enjoys an idyllic rural environment enjoyed by local residents, farmers and farm workers and an ever-increasing tourist population. This development puts all this in grave jeopardy with the very real potential to destroy the local environment and damage the inland waterways.
I believe this is unsuitable and poorly planned development based purely on financial benefit for the mining company with little regard to anything else. This is a short-term project (17 years) that will devastate a strong community with a proud history of close to 200 years of agriculture, and a population of young farmers who are poised to see it flourish for generations to come.
I urge in the strongest terms that you reject the Bowdens Silver Project for the good of our planet.

Bowdens Silver Project 9641

My name is Judith Brown and I have lived in the Lue area for the last 55 years. The Brown family have been in the Lue area for over 100years.
I am very pleased to have this opportunity to express my deep concerns about the Bowdens Silver mine project.
I have a two year old granddaughter living in Lue, and children are at most risk of lead poisoning. Her parents believe they will have to leave Lue if the mine goes ahead.
Lue does not have town water or sewage. The Lue residents rely on their own tanks to catch rain water, and some have sunk their own bores in order to have a garden. My son and daughter in- law have created a lovely garden and most importantly they grow their own vegetables. If the Silver mine goes ahead they wont be able to eat their produce, because it wont be safe for them.
Lue residents who have gone to the expense to sink there own bores have had very poor flows, and some have even been dry.
Bowdens re-bored the School's bore as a local good gesture. They extended the depth of the hole,and my son who lives two doors from the school found his bore was effected, and his flow is so weak he has to keep turning it off to wait for the water to build up to the level that the pump can be started again. This was very problematic in the drought.
When he applied to sink the bore, his application was turned down the first time, because it was too close to his septic system. Imagine what will happen if the Lawson Creek is contaminated from the Silver mine? The whole Village will be without water, and so will everyone living all the way down stream. They wont be able to use tank water because of the lead dust, and they won't be able to use underground water.
We have just had the worst drought in 100 years, and the dust storms we have endured have been catastrophic. With climate change, the 100 year happenings are going to be much more often in all ways,drought, floods, fires ,storms etc.

Bowdens have declared they will not rehabilitate the whole site. This means our beautiful area will be ruined forever.
The mining activity will go on for seven days and nights, and we will no longer be able to look at the beautiful sunsets .Instead we will be looking at lights of a mine, and the noise to go with it.
Lue road is already very busy. The thought of all those loaded trucks taking ore out, and bringing chemicals such as as cyanide in, is unbearable.
Mid-western Regional Council does not allow mines in the council area to have workers accommodated on site. I believe the CEO of Bowdens has bought the Lue Hotel. I can only guess that The Lue Hotel complex will become a mining camp.
Silver Mines Limited have never made or operated a mine before. Can they be trusted with such a large and dangerous project?
The most worrying part is the Tailings Dam they will build. It is only a single wall 68 metres high, and less than 1 kilometre from Lawsons Creek. They will pump it full of chemicals like Arsenic,cyanide,cadmium and Lead. There is no second safety wall for the dam if it leaks. I am not convinced that it will work. It will flow into Lawsons Creek, then to the Cudgegong River, then to Burrundong.dam. The cover they are planning hasn't a hope in the world of working. How are they going to stop the wombats digging through the liner. Who is responsible for the integrity of the liner 50 years, 100years down the track.
I suggest that the proposal not be approved due to it being such a risk to the community and the environment.

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