1. The proposed mine expansion will clear almost 400 hectares more of irreplaceable woodland ecosystem including some in the publicly owned Leard State Forest. No amount of offset can replace this old woodland.
2. The proposed rehabilitation is totally inadequate, with the proposed topsoil layer too thin to support a healthy growth of locally appropriate woodland vegetation.
3. The proposed mine expansion will harm surface water quality by increasing the risk of polluted mine water discharging onto local floodplains in times of flood, as has already happened in November 2011 and February 2012.
4. The proposed mine will destroy native woodland vegetation and replace it with a hole in the ground. This would permanently lower the local groundwater. The landscape would never return to its pre-mine condition.
5. The mine as proposed will destroy the natural flow of Goonbri Creek which is currently in good condition. It is essential for there to be an undisturbed buffer zone 300 metres wide for Goonbri Creek. The mine as proposed will harm the hydrological systems well beyond Goonbri Creek because this drainage system contributes to groundwater flow to Barbers Lagoon. Barbers Lagoon is a very important Aboriginal cultural site and historic site. It was documented as long ago as 1832 by Thomas Mitchell. It is wrong to damage this heritage.
6.The water in the post-mine hole will increase in toxicity over time, further transferring the real costs of this project to future generations and to the ecosystem.
7. This expansion of Tarrawonga coal mine further expropriates the public interest in land and gifts it to private interests for profit.
8. This proposed mine expansion is against the principles of ecologically sustainable development, especially inter-generational equity and not destroying future use options.
9. The purpose of this mine is to produce coal that will be burnt and so it will result in additional greenhouse gasses. This activity is destroying the entire human habitat and is no longer justifiable or excusable.

I have not actually visited the site but people I know have and they assure me there are issues with the below and I urge you to fully consider them.

The proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek which is a 4th order stream in good to excellent condition, will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should halt 300m prior to Goonbri Creek and leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.
The clearing of 397 Ha of Native Vegetation including some vegetation in the Leard State Forest. The consequence of this clearing is to increase the cumulative impact to the Leard Forest from the Boggabri Coal and Maules Creek Coal mines. This Forest is PUBLIC LAND and is being provided to a largely foreign owned company for private profit.
The project area will be rehabilitated by spreading a thin layer of topsoil over the overburden embankment. This is not sufficient to ensure the water holding capability can sustain White Box and other native trees which are currently found in the area.
The disturbance of surface water flows from the existing mine due to the overburden embankments has directed large volumes of mine water from within the project area onto the flood plain during the Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 floods. The increased project area in the Goonbri Creek Catchment due to the mine expansion will exasperate this issue.
The plan to leave a final void where there was native vegetation is not best practice. The void does not return the land to its pre-mining land capability and creates an evaporative pump that permanently negatively impacts on the ground water.
The water contained in the final void will increase in toxicity and be a threat to native animals in the area and as shown in the recent flood event could be a major threat to the floodplain.

I am advised and concerned that the proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.
The clearing of 397 Ha of Native Vegetation will increase the cumulative impact to the Leard Forest from the Boggabri Coal and Maules Creek Coal mines. This Forest is PUBLIC LAND.
Incidentally, is your security code _meant to be so very difficult to read and reproduce?
The project area will not be rehabilitated by spreading a thin layer of topsoil over the overburden embankment. This is not sufficient to restore the water holding capability to White Box and other natives.
The disturbance of surface water flows from the existing mine due to the overburden embankments has directed large volumes of mine water from within the project area onto the flood plain during the Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 floods. The increased project area in the Goonbri Creek Catchment due to the mine expansion will exasperate this issue.
The plan to leave a final void where there was native vegetation is not best practice. The void does not return the land to its pre-mining land capability and creates an evaporative pump that permanently negatively impacts on the ground water.
The water contained in the final void will increase in toxicity and be a threat to native animals in the area and as shown in the recent flood event could be a major threat to the floodplain.

Please dont destroy more of our o2 producing native forests for h2o poisoning, co2 producing, toxic waste spilling unsustainable mining activities in the Namoi basin. Putting short term profit over sustainable practice will destroy our environment for generations to come.

I have flown over this area to inspect it and object to this proposal.

1. The proposed "permanent" re-alignment of Goonbri Creek which is a 4th order stream in good to excellent condition, will turn a natural asset into a drain. The mine should halt 300m prior to Goonbri Creek and leave the creek in its current, natural and permanent location. Goonbri Creek is a major component of the groundwater recharge for the area of Barbers Lagoon and the township of Boggabri.

2. The clearing of 397 Ha of Native Vegetation including some vegetation in the Leard State Forest. The consequence of this clearing is to increase the cumulative impact to the Leard Forest from the Boggabri Coal and Maules Creek Coal mines. This Forest is PUBLIC LAND and is being provided to a largely foreign owned company for private profit.

3. The project area will be rehabilitated by spreading a thin layer of topsoil over the overburden embankment. This is not sufficient to ensure the water holding capability can sustain White Box and other native trees which are currently found in the area.

4. The disturbance of surface water flows from the existing mine due to the overburden embankments has directed large volumes of mine water from within the project area onto the flood plain during the Nov 2011 and Feb 2012 floods. The increased project area in the Goonbri Creek Catchment due to the mine expansion will exasperate this issue.

5. The plan to leave a final void where there was native vegetation is not best practice. The void does not return the land to its pre-mining land capability and creates an evaporative pump that permanently negatively impacts on the ground water.

6. The water contained in the final void will increase in toxicity and be a threat to native animals in the area and as shown in the recent flood event could be a major threat to the floodplain.

Best Regards Donald

Prof. Don White
___________________________________
Don White and Co Pty Ltd
ABN 32 084 601 169
___________________________________
Please consider our environment before printing this email

To whome it may concern, I am outraged that any mining operation exists at all within the Namoi catchment area. The destruction of sustainable O2 producing forests to be replaced with H20 guzzling C02 producing toxic spilling mining operations to profit overseas companies appals me to my very core! Be aware to expand upon this operation would be negligence. To avoid the most stingent rehabilitation operation and leave a toxic void in our landscape will have dire consequences for not only the landscape, the flora and fauna of the local region and the water down stream all the way to the SA for generations to come. Please say no to the exploitation of our sustainable eco-system for someone elces profit, after all we have to live here.

To whome it may concern, I am outraged that any mining operation exists at all within the Namoi catchment area. The destruction of sustainable O2 producing forests to be replaced with H20 guzzling C02 producing toxic spilling mining operations to profit overseas companies appals me to my very core! Be aware to expand upon this operation would be negligence. To avoid the most stingent rehabilitation operation and leave a toxic void in our landscape will have dire consequences for not only the landscape, the flora and fauna of the local region and the water down stream all the way to the SA for generations to come. Please say no to the exploitation of our sustainable eco-system for someone elces profit, after all we have to live here.

I hope the "Water" section of this grand Commonwealth Dept is jumping up and down at the proposal to expand the Tarrawonga Coal Mine.

Realigning the Goonbri Creek? That is so 60s and 70s. This is a 4th order sytream in good to excellent condition that provides a natural catchment and groundwater recharge for the lagoon and for the Boggabri township. Why mess with it? Stop the expansion 500m or so from the Creek line.

Clearing 400ha of PUBLIC Land, the Leard State Forest, so a mostly foreign-owned PRIVATE company can expand? Some tin-pot dictator somewhere couldn't have done better. It is fundamentally a "systems corruption" that robs the people of their natural assets.

Assessing what the increased rainfall has meant to the existing overburden banks of the mine? Large volumes of mine water from the project area has ended up on the floodplain over this summer's increased rainfall. Expanding the mine will only worsen the situation and compromise groundwater wells further.

Agreeing to "lip-service" rehabilitation conditions? How very MBA of the department.

I am sorry to be so scathing. This is just the next in a long line of decisions by all sorts of government depts (state and federal) that leave me breathless and so annoyed.

This expansion will probably not provide too many more jobs (a consideration for the dept. and fair enough, to a certain extent) and I think it's fair to say that a fair whack of the profits will go overseas.

There is nothing Sustainable about a Coal mine.
Let's keep what intact creek Environment we have.
Let's look at Water as a big picture. Consider the impact of creek re-aligning and mine water discharge into the wider Water Cycle.
Populations and Communities (humans, other animals and plants) need habitat and a truly sustainable lifestyle and economy. Once you mess with an environment it's gone and so is the profit overseas.

Please stand up for the name of your Dept. and either say no or make the conditions truly in the name of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations & Communities.

Thank you for your time

Jane Watson.

see attached PDF

I am opposed to this project because it would require further clearing of Leard State Forest. Leard State Forest is public land, and harbours high conservation value ecological woodlands. It has already been severely impacted by the Boggabri mine, and any further loss of this remnant vegetation in this heavily cleared landscape constitute an unacceptable impact. It is well known in the Hunter that mine site "rehabilitation" does not bring back the lost ecological communities, due to ruined soil structure, changed hydrology and other impacts.

I support the Northern Inland Council for the Environment and will be guided by them in my views and reactions to decisions about resource extraction in northern NSW.

thanks for the opportunity to comment.