Tweed Shire council votes to ban water mining from region

Councillors have voted to scrap water mining from Tweed’s Local Environment Plan but the industry isn’t dead in the shire just yet.

Water mining protesters blocked two trucks in Uki on Saturday which they believed were carting water illegally.

WATER mining could be banned in the Tweed Shire after councillors voted to remove the practice from the Local Environment Plan at its council meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Before it is scrapped, the council must prove to the NSW Planning Department extractting waters from underground aquifers and selling it to water bottlers like Mount Franklin is unsustainable.

Green Mayor Katie Milne’s proposed motion to remove the practise of extracting water was supported four to two.

Tweed Shire Mayor Katie Milne’s motion to remove water mining from the Local Environment Plan was success at the council meeting on Thursday night.

WEEKLY PROTESTS IN THE TWEED OVER WATER MINING

The successful motion stated it was a precautionary approach in regard to long term sustainability of the water aquifers considering there was a lack of scientific evidence into the abundance of the natural resource.

“(Also) safety and amenity concerns, wear and tear on unsuitable rural roads, and the high level of opposition in the community for this activity,” the motion read.

Water miners and environmentalists have been at war in the Tweed for years as their ideological differences collided on the rural roads they both share.

Environmentalists have called for an end to water mining and complained about the safety of large water trucks on their winding rural roads.

On Monday four representatives from Tweed Water Alliance and The Water Dragons met with Cr Milne and council officers while about 200 protesters chanted outside the Murwillumbah Council building.

They were calling on the council to act on alleged noncompliance at the region’s four operational water mines.

This followed a protest a fortnight ago and councillors approving the fifth water mine two months ago.

NSW Department of Planning listed four items the council had to prove before water mining could be removed from the LEP.

Most noteably the council would have to prove the industry is unsustainable and prove it is harmful to the environment.

Cr Milne said the council didn’t have the money to fund those studies which would take years of drilling bores and doing tests to prove what is needed.

“That’s a ridiculous expectation, that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and decades to prove,” she said.

“We think they should have to prove that it is sustainable instead of us having to prove it is unsustainable.”

WATER MINING BUSINESS OWNER CALLS FOR COUNCIL TO BE SACKED

Matthew Karlos has declared he is going to continue to fly from Tweed to Brisbane for work despite councillors refusing his helipad development application.

Before the meeting water miner Matthew Karlos, whose father has been extracting water form their Urliup property for 13 years, wrote to all of the councillors.

“As a major industry player, we believe that majority councillor opposition is fuelled by no more than misguided hate and some very bored individuals who have banded together with their pitchforks and torches,” he wrote.

“Water NSW, along with all water extraction business owners and associated customers and secondary employees of this exceptionally clean and environmentally sustainable industry, are getting very tired of what is quite frankly, behaviour which embarrasses our community statewide.”

Councillors Milne, Chris Cherry, Reece Byrnes and Ron Cooper voted in favour of the motion.

Councillors Warren Polglase and Pryce Allsop voted against it.

Councillor James Owen was absent from the vote.