Bowdens Silver

Director, Resource Assessments
Planning and Assessment
Department of Planning, Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022, PARRAMATTA NSW 2124


Date 24 July 2020
Name James White
Address 189 Tyagarah Rd, Tyagarah 2481


Applicant – Bowdens Silver Pty Limited
Application Number - SSD-5765
Application – Bowdens Silver Mine

I OBJECT to the Bowdens Silver Mine proposal.
I declare I have have not made a reportable political donation in the previous 2 years.
Signature - James White

I was born and raised locally and am well familiar with the area. I have also worked in the mining industry and am versed in the effects of mining. My wider family are still resident in the area and it is a place that my children and I visit regularly. I know well the proposed site and the proximity of the mine to the village and have experienced the ebbs and flows of the Lawsons Creek recognising significant constraint on it as a reliable water source even without the draw down by the proposed 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 given 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 given the proximity of the mine.
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. The road is already very busy and quite dangerous as people drive too fast for the road’s conditions. Currently B Double Trucks are restricted on Lue Road 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 .
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. 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. 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. 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.

I thank you for considering my submission in its entirety, this mine is financial folly and should not be allowed to proceed.


James White.

I have attempted to submit this as a scanned and signed pdf but seem unable to, please accept this text in good faith and consider it signed by me and thus not an anonymous submission. If you still should need clarification or my signature please contact me.

I object to this proposal as the region doesn't need any new mines being established. The environmental impact on our region cannot be undone and I am genuinely concerned about the water impacts, along with pollution. The communities that live within Lue will be negatively impacted. We need to consider the local impacts of mining on our region and tourists do not visit the area to see mines. Please do not let this mine proceed as it will ruin the landscape. The risk of toxic contamination and pollution are not worth it. Please put community and our environment first, say no to this proposed mine.

Support

My property, East Ridge, is situated to the east of the mine site with the farm house approximately 3 kilometres from the site boundary.

I am very concerned that dust from the mine site will contaminate my drinking water which is collected from the house and shed roofs. Any heavy metal contamination will pollute our drinking water. This will affect my health, my wife’s health and the health of our grandsons and any visitors to the property.
Contamination of my drinking water will make my property uninhabitable and greatly reduce the value of the property

I am concerned that any airborne contaminants, particularly lead will affect my olive grove and render the business unviable. The business was established in 2003 and consistently produces award winning olive oils every year. Any detectable levels of lead or other heavy metals in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil from our grove would make the oil unsaleable, thus effectively closing the business.
The property value will decrease considerably if the olive grove is no longer viable.

My property, East Ridge, is currently in an area zoned general rural and part of its attractiveness is the relative peace and quiet afforded by its isolation and outlook.
Noise from the site will be a significant factor in the amenity of the area. Modelling may suggest that the noise, particularly at night, will be very low but to the human ear, the current level of background noise is so low that any increase will be very significant and disturbing.
Noise from the mine site, increased local traffic, dust and visual pollution from the site will significantly decrease the value of my property during the operation of the mine.

I am concerned about the increased traffic on the Lue road given the planned movement of trucks to transport the ore from the mine site. This road is narrow and winding in sections with a poor road surface which is regularly patched and filled when potholes develop.
Increased heavy vehicle movement will only add to the current hazards of driving between Lue and Mudgee.

I believe that having the tailings dam with no secondary wall to contain the trapped cyanide, cadmium, arsenic, zinc and lead in the event of a wall leak or breach will present an unacceptable risk to the environment. The village of Lue is directly downstream of the dam.
This presents a short term financial gain with little regard for future generations that will live in the vicinity or downstream of the site.
The Box Gum woodland that would be destroyed establishing the mine is home to critically endangered species which are identified under state and federal legislation. It would seem that there is no regard given to our local environment and the fauna living in the vicinity.

Property owners who are affected by the 60 km long water pipeline from the Ulan and Moolarben mines will have no recourse to object to the pipeline being laid through their property. While mining rights afford mining companies access to the resources below ground on property that they own, it is unjust that the property owners cannot stop others accessing their private property if that is their wish.

Support

Support

I object to the project. It is just too close to Lue town and public school and the EIS has not adequately addressed many areas which are highlighted in my attached objection document. The most concerning of all is the lack of detail on the adverse affects to Human Health.

Please view my PDF attachment " SVL Oppose document for review"
in Objection to the Silver mines Ltd proposal for Lue NSW
As well as supporting images

Thank you

I strongly object to Bowdens Silver mine proposal due to adverse effects it will definitely have upon the environment and families who live in the area.
The proposal will use an unsustainable amount of water (1857 megalitres of water annually) taken predominantly from our valley when we are only just recovering from the devastating effects of drought.
The toxicity of lead is highly concerning as there is no safe level of exposure to lead. 42% of extracted material will be lead. In comparison to 0.05% silver which is the main reason for the operations.
I do not see any sustainable, worthwhile or beneficial effects this mine could have for Lue and its surrounds.