Lock the Gate takes aim at Whitehaven Coal’s water data

Lock the Gate Alliance has called for Whitehaven Coal’s Winchester South EIS to be ‘thrown out’, raising concerns over water data and environmental impacts.

An environmental lobby group has questioned the validity of wet season modelling at Whitehaven Coal’s $1 billion Central Queensland project, calling for the mine to not proceed.

Lock the Gate Alliance, in its submission to the Winchester South environmental impact statement, says water surveying data in the document was done during a low rainfall season in a period of drought.

The early May data, at the start of the dry season, inaccurately represents the rainfall data of the wider Isaac region.

“This EIS should be thrown in the bin based purely on the fact Whitehaven is trying to argue it conducted robust wet season monitoring at the beginning of the dry season and during a drought,” Lock the Gate Alliance spokeswoman Ellie Smith said.

“As anyone who has spent any time in the tropics knows, wet seasons are wildly unpredictable. Basing the construction of a mammoth coal mine off incomplete data is a recipe for disaster.”

Whitehaven Coal refused to comment, instead referring back to the draft EIS in the public submission stage.

In further concerns raised in its submission against the mine’s approval, Lock the Gate said the project would undermine the state government’s lower emissions target goal, and raised concerns about unfilled voids that would remain at the end of the project’s lifespan.

Whitehaven, in response to this questions from this publication, did not respond but a spokeswoman again indicated the requirements the company must meet to be approved.

Isaac Mayor Anne Baker, Resources Minister Scott Stewart, Isaac Council CEO Jeff Stewart-Harris and Whitehaven Coal project director Todd Harrington on a visit of the site earlier this year. Picture: Contributed

The company did not respond to questions relating to water controls and discharges that Lock the Gate suggested could impact the Isaac River floodplain.

Whitehaven’s Sustainability Report 2021 states: “Every day, we are required to comply with more than 7000 individual controls across various licence conditions and management plans.

“We are committed to strong performance in this critical area.

“In the regrettable instances where non-compliances do occur, we always seek to work cooperatively with relevant regulators and take steps to address all controllable factors that contributed to the non-compliance.”

Whitehaven Coal's Winchester South coal mine draft environmental impact statement has been released.

Winchester South is Whitehaven Coal’s first development in Queensland. It has several established operations in New South Wales.

The draft EIS and submissions are currently being assessed. If approved, construction will begin in late 2022.