My name is Kate McKittrick and I live nearby to the proposed Bowdens Silver Mine in Lue, New South Wales. I objected to this proposal for a number of personal reasons.

1. Health – I recently suffered a significant life threatening illness. I have respiratory issues and severe eye damage and it has been recommended that I live and work in a relatively dust free environment. Lead is a cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems. I am scared at the possibilities of what the lead and dust will do to my ongoing health issues.

2. Roads - we travel the Lue Road to get to town most days. The road is in extremely poor condition and dangerous at the best of times. We have three teenage children all learning to drive on this road and we do not want to see a massive increase in traffic, let alone the addition of large trucks and the risks associated with the movement of explosives and oxidising agents being transported along the same route. There is no way of avoiding the traffic flow into the mine.

3. Water – we rely very heavily on water from the Lawson Creek for our home and garden. The water level in Lawson Creek will drop by one metre rendering much of the Creek dry for users. Bowdens Mine will use more water from the Lawson Creek catchment than all current users combined. Ground water levels on the mine site will drop by 25 metres and the open cut pit will continue to draw on ground water for up to 100 years after the mine has been abandoned.

4. Planning - 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. As residents of the area we will feel the impacts long after the mine has closed.

To whom it may concern;

Whilst I am not a Lue resident I love visiting the region as a tourist and don't think a toxic lead mine should be allowed to proceed.
The environmental and social ramifications of a lead mine will be devastating to the Lue Region and its residents.
The picturesque nature of this region and it's wildlife need to be preserved for generations to come. In a period of environmental awareness, it would reckless of NSW major projects to consider this as mine as benefit to the community.

Enough is enough.

Kind Regards,
William Laing
(A concerned visitor to the Lue Region)

I am deeply concerned about the impacts from the potential Bowdens Silver and Lead Mine.
As a land owner who owns a farming property on the Cudgegong River, and I am deeply concerned about the significant amount of water required to operate the mine, and the way any pollutants entering the water catchment could have on my cropping and cattle enterprise. I am extremely concerned about impacts from dust and associated metals on drinking water supplies, livestock and aquatic environments.
The large amount of toxic material being processed at the mine – including lead, cyanide, cadmium and arsenic would be extremely detrimental to fragile ecosystems and the water catchment if this mine is allowed to go ahead.
We have just battled many years of drought, and the huge water requirement by the mine would undoubtably put further pressure on the area’s water table.
I am also deeply concerned that this important ecological and historic region will be threatened by the open-cut mine. Just last week I visited the region of Havilah and Dunns Swamp, and was blown away by its beauty, its rich agricultural lands and historical significance.
Other points of concern include the following:

• The proximity of tailings storage dam to Lawsons Creek, and the real potential for dangerous chemicals to leach into the creek and on to Cudgegong River.

• The fact the mine is to operate in close proximity to a public school, included as a sensitive receiver of mine pollutants (from its rooftop water supply) and traffic fumes, in addition to noise pollutants.

• My son, who has the chronic health condition of cystic fibrosis, is particularly vulnerable to increased dust particles in the air. He often visits nearby property Havilah, which will be negatively affected by increased dust in the airways. This mine would put him, and many others, in a critical danger.

• The destruction of local wetlands and waterholes caused by the proponent’s annual water use, which their own surveys estimate will reduce groundwater levels by 25 metres at the site.

• The destruction of known habitat for endangered species, including the Regent Honeyeater, Koala, Box-Gum Woodland, Ausfeld’s Wattle and Squirrel Glider.

• The social impact on local residents in Lue, Rylstone and Mudgee, and the regions dependence on tourism, which would be directly affected by the toxic, polluting mine, increased traffic and pollutants in a major tourism destination.

• The insufficient consideration of and consultation with traditional owners of the land, including Wiradjuri and Gallanggabang peoples. Part 13 of the proponent’s specialist consultant study details claims from several Aboriginal Land Councils that Bowdens Silver has not provided adequate planning documents, reports, or opportunities for real consultation about the mine proposal.

Given these specific concerns, I urge the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to refuse Bowdens Silver Pty Ltd’s application SSD-5765 on the basis of its clear unsuitability due to ecological and cultural concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Sally Killoran

Bowdens Silver
Appliction Number: SSD-5765
I wish to express my support for this development for its economic benefits both locally and nationally.

The Bowdens Silver project is an exciting development in the Australian Mining Sector. Silver is a strategic asset as it is used in thousands of applications and our modern world and economy could not exist without it. Quite a lot of the world's silver production comes out of jurisdictions which are politically unstable and these assets are exposed to problems such as cartels and nationalization. Silver demand will continue to rise and so will the price. This world class deposit will provide much needed foreign revenue and jobs for the Australian economy. It would be a big waste not to develop it.
Regards
Robert Toumbos.

Please refer to my pdf attachment

A valuable contribution to local community

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