Bravus (formerly Adani) hands over information for alleged environmental breach investigation

Experts in sediment, erosion control and stormwater management have been engaged to review the information.

Photo of the alleged breach – Serpentine Creek. Picture: Frontline Action On Coal

Mining giant Bravus has handed over information as part of an investigation into alleged "serious pollution and environmental damage" on the Carmichael mine rail corridor.

Last month, Mackay Conservation Group alleged conditions the Queensland Coordinator-General imposed on Adani's North Galilee Basin Rail Project to protect nearby waterways from contamination had been breached.

The group alleged this was because Bravus had failed to properly prepare construction sites on the rail corridor for the wet season.

A Bravus Mining and Resources spokeswoman rejected allegations about the appropriateness of the sediment controls in place to manage dirty rainwater run-off and flood waters at its remote rail construction sites.

The Coordinator-General is investigating the allegations and provided an update on the matter this week.

"Bravus has supplied information requested by the Coordinator-General, including details of the alleged event," a spokesman for the Office of the Coordinator-General said.

"The Coordinator-General has independently engaged experts in sediment and erosion control and stormwater management to review the information.

"The expert review of the information is proposed to be finalised as quickly as possible."

The spokesman said if a breach was identified, the matter would be managed in line with the conditions of approval.

Photos of the alleged breach – Gunn Creek – Little Gun. Picture: Mackay Conservation Group

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The Bravus spokeswoman said it was working cooperatively with the Office of the Coordinator General to ensure they had all the information requested as part of the investigation.

"The Carmichael Project takes our environmental obligations seriously and we have erosion and sediment control measures in place at our construction sites to ensure we comply with our environmental approvals for daily operations and extreme weather events," she said.

"We are required to design our sediment controls for specific rain event levels. When rain events exceed those levels, sediment controls can be affected.

"Flooding or significant movement of water across the site, does not mean we are not compliant with our conditions.

"We monitor all our environmental controls frequently, including during periods of heavy rain such as those in January, and we believe all of them to be operating in accordance with our conditions."

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Originally published as Bravus (formerly Adani) hands over information for alleged environmental breach investigation