Abbot Point Operations denies flood waters entered GBR park

Adani owned Abbot Point Operations CEO says flood waters released over wetland was not “coal-laden sludge”.

ABBOT Point Operations have said last week’s flood waters did not enter the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, however they did enter the Caley Valley Wetlands via an authorised release point, as well as from the wetland’s broader catchment area.

In a statement the Adani owned company said the water entering the wetlands from the Port of Abbot Point’s authorised release point “was sent for analysis to an accredited third-party, confirming the “total suspended solids, or volume of other debris materials (like soil, plant

material, dust and other particulate material) within the flood water, was 58 mg/L”.

Flood water at Adani’s Abbot Point coal terminal released into wetlands

Abbot Point Operations CEO Dwayne Freeman said the flood water was not “coal-laden sludge”.

“This is a very minor elevation in total suspended solids, following an extraordinary weather event that caused flooding and damage to much of North Queensland including many homes, businesses, and farms,” he said.

“These preliminary test results are a testament to the infrastructure upgrade program and the tireless work of our dedicated employees.

“We are confident there will be no environmental impacts to the wetlands area, despite this unprecedented weather event.

“Normally a company would not release its test results, but we recognise there is a high level of public interest in Abbot Point Terminal’s operations, and as a result of this, we are releasing these results in an effort to keep the community informed and to demonstrate our commitment to operating transparently and with integrity.”

Mr Freeman said that monitoring and inspections on site had given port officials a better understanding of the reasons for flood waters entering the wetlands.

“The weather has been extreme up here at Abbot Point,” he said.

“Heavy rainfall has seen a significant amount of water accumulating on the Port site and surrounding properties.

“The flood water from our neighbouring properties on Thursday 7 February 2019 could not be contained any longer and exceeded our systems’ capacity, resulting in flood water entering the wetlands.”

Originally published as Abbot Point Operations denies flood waters entered GBR park