I object to the Bowdens Silver mine because lead is poisonous for Lue.

There is nothing that Bowdens could do that would make a mine acceptable in Lue. It would be too close to the town, and take too much water from a creek that regularly dries up during summer and droughts. The roads around Lue are simply not good enough to accommodate the additional heavy vehicles that would travel in the region. Lue is a place of natural beauty, quiet and clean, this will be destroyed if a mine goes ahead. the local flora and fauna will be impacted negatively as will the health of the local people. This is a terrible idea and should be stopped before it is started.

My name is David White, I am a 28-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 neighboring 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

My name is Bill Brown and I belong to land within 5km of the Bowden Silver Pty Limited owned land. I had the opportunity to write an objection to the EIS and am now providing comment on the Amendment (SSD-5765).
The proposed project needs water for the construction of the mine and for the proposed mining activities. The surface water and ground water investigations established that these sources could not provide a reliable source to make-up water required for the project. "uncertainties related to on-site water sources".Detailed surface water and groundwater studies have since established that neither source by itself, or collectively could provide a reliable source of make-up water required for the project.
The water pipeline was to fix this issue. Water for the project is still an issue, there is not enough and the water that is caught and used on site cannot leave the site due to contamination issues.
The objectives of Clause 6.4 of the Mid- Western LEP are:
a) to maintain the hydrological functions of key groundwater systems,
b )to protect vulnerable groundwater resources from depletion and contamination as a result of development.
Hawkins and Lawsons creeks are in the area of groundwater drawdown resulting form development of the open -cut pit.
Water level drawdown resulting from dewatering of the open cut pit has the potential to reduce groundwater availability
The construction phase will require water before there is any open cut pit. There is not enough water.
The village of Lue does not have a town water or sewerage, the owners must provide their own.
Some of the bore holes in the area have great drinking water potential . Borehole (BGW 56) located in the rail reserve in Lue is notably fresher (less salinity) This bore has the potential to be used for town water.
To obtain water only from the mine site, surface water groundwater, and later recycled water is not good enough for a development of this nature.
There are so many issues with the proposed development, some I have already pointed out in a previous submission. It would be wrong of me to not think of a solution to the proposed Silver Mine, when investors have invested so much.
I believe the land use for the site and surrounding silver mine owned land could be used for something other than a mine. There is a great need for housing, both affordable and also for relocation of flood affected owners who can no longer build in flood prone areas. Lue Village needs a water supply and a sewerage treatment plant. The Bowdens site could hold the key to such a development. Sell the land back to private landowners,and grow the village. The Job creation would not last for just the duration of a construction phase of a mine.
The mine site is home to a community of koalas, and using Biodiversity offsetting does nothing for the individual Koala.
The sulfuric acid pit which will be the legacy of the mine for eternity is not a viable option for a development. There must be a safer way to extract ore than the proposed plan that Bowdens aim to do. It was bad planning and human error that caused the "Chernobyl"explosion back in 1986.

I believe it will be good for the surrounding community, especially in a post-coal, renewable energy world.
The amendment for water reduction is a good thing and I see no downsides to this inclusion.
Looking forward to seeing this get up

I believe the amendments to the Bowdens Silver project is in the best interests of the community for multiple reasons, these include:
- Reduced overall water usage and removal of pipeline will reduce potential impact on local ecosystems, residents and infrastructure.
- Recycling of water on-site will reduce risk of seepage from tailings dam.
- Realigned powerlines are not significantly different from current powerline corridor.
- Progressing the project will aid in diversification of local industry, specifically redirecting local mining away from fossil fuels and into identified critical minerals/metals for the renewables sector.

I support the project because of it will be able create employment and silver is essential for clean energy such as photovoltaic cells for solar power and batteries for EVs and wind turbines. I believe the company will be a great corporate citizen given its focus on being environmentally sustainable, for example becoming self-sufficient for its water needs and commitment to not draw water from Lawsons Creek. I also applaud the realignment of the power lines to reduces the number of towers that would need to be relocated and/or constructed. In summary, I believe the mine would be a boost to the community and would have a net positive impact on the environment.

I support the Bowdens Silver project and the proposed amendments. The water supply strategies implemented significantly reduce on-site water usage with less disturbance to land and biodiversity or heritage impact. The project will provide substantial economic benefits for the local and regional communities including long term employment for around 230 people. I am excited for the project to commence operations.

The EIS and the proposed amendment demonstrate the Proponents reluctance to be an ecological mining operation. There are substantial uncertainties that may result in unexpected and unacceptable consequences. The mine will provide minimal benefit to the community or the State of NSW but the detrimental impact and cost on future generations will continue for centuries. The impact from this mine will be intolerable for the residents and landowners during the mine life and is at odds with the current preferred land usage of lifestyle, tourism, and agriculture. This is an extremely sensitive and environmentally valuable area; the ecosystem will be permanently damaged.