Upper Hunter coal mining assessment
The final report of an interagency strategic assessment of coal mining potential in the Upper Hunter Valley was released in December 2005. The study was undertaken in response to community concern about the potential for a new coal mine at Bickham, near Murrurundi. The study covered not just the area around Bickham, but all of the Upper Hunter Shire (as gazetted in March 2004). This area contains a broad band of coal resources extending from Aberdeen and Scone in the south to Murrurundi in the north. The study focused on the potential short and long term impacts on surface and ground water resources, including the environmentally sensitive Pages River adjacent to the Bickham site. The assessment also reviewed natural resource, natural and cultural heritage values, and existing land uses (primarily agriculture) across nearly 5000 km2.
Enquiries
Phone 02 9228 6308 or email howard.reed@planning.nsw.gov.au