Acland Coal now not so sure ...
Is Acland Coal having second thoughts about the RO waste stream that Toowoomba City Council wants to send it for coal washing?
The NWC application states that the RO waste stream provided to Acland Coal will have a maximum of 3000mg/L of TDS - this is the maximum salt load Acland Coal have advised that they can accept.
Is Acland Coal now having second thoughts given what else might be in the RO waste stream or perhaps wondering how they will deal with disposal of around 6000 tonnes per annum of waste salt? And needing to pay the Toowoomba City Council for the privilege of doing so?
On WIN News last evening, Acland Coal were stated as needing to talk further with the Toowoomba City Council on this issue.
One of the major gaps between the NWC application and Acland Coal's EIS is the different treatment of the RO waste stream.
Under the NWC application, if Acland Coal doesn't take the RO waste stream, 600 hectares of evaporation ponds would be required. (Even if you accept the RO side stream argument put forward by the Council, some 68 hectares of evaporation ponds would be required - this alternative has "significant unknowns".)
But if you read the Acland Coal EIS, there's only a cursory mention of any need for evaporation ponds.
In fact, the Acland Coal EIS refers to the project having a surplus of water and needing to dispose of it.
Disposal options are:
- evaporation ponds/dams
- potential irrigation uses
- aquifer recharge options
- supply to another industry in the area
- offering water to nearby landowners for stock watering
- off-site discharge during suitable rainfall events.
It seems Acland Coal hasn't really turned its mind to what the Toowoomba City Council will be piping to it.
And what happens when coal mining ceases? What happens to the RO waste stream then? Keep pumping it out to Acland and hope no-one notices?
The Toowoomba City Council was probably hoping that no-one ever read the two reports together ...
posted by Concerned Ratepayer at 2:02 PM
2 Comments:
"We have yet to agree with Toowoomba City Council as to the final make up of the Class A+ quality recycled water ... however it is our understanding that the water would be of the highest quality standard for recycled water."
There is a serious misunderstanding between TCC and New Hope/Acland Coal on what they will be getting in terms of water quality.
3:40 PM, March 09, 2006
Section 6 (page 21) of the CH2M Hill report (Appendix E) in the NWC application:
"In order to reduce the costs associated with salt management, it would be in the Council's interest to negotiate an arrangement with Acland mine to accept the high salinity water for coal washing purposes."
But what if Acland wants better quality water?
5:50 PM, March 09, 2006
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