The river that disappeared (because of Modern Mining)

Comment: The definition of "Colliery" - in Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine! So an underground mine is making the river disappear by using all its water and the jerk with the company says they are "pumped its excess water into the creek as a gift to nearby residents"! Really, the river belongs to the people not a mining corporation!

DEBRA JOPSON
REGIONAL AFFAIRS
December 29, 2009

AS SOREN and Sonya Lunoe waited for the hundred or so holidaymakers who booked into their Turon Gates resort near Lithgow for the Christmas break, the river where tourists fish, kayak and swim dropped dramatically, leaving a chain of small waterholes linked by a dry bed.

The drying of the Turon River had happened only three times in the 36 years since they bought the property, and Mrs Lunoe rang her guests to let them know their water play would be curtailed.

As the first families arrived with tents or moved into the 18 cabins, he shipped in 12,000 litres in 10 tanker loads, at $380 each.

The Lunoes and a cattle farmer, Digby MacPhee, believe that the Baal Bone Colliery has sucked the water out of Jews Creek, which feeds into the river.

But the mine's safety and training manager, said that, rather than taking from the river, the colliery was totally self-sufficient and pumped its excess water into the creek as a gift to nearby residents.

''The only reason it has dried up is we have had a major failure in one of our pumps,'' he said.

The pump had been fixed and water was on its way.

Read...
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/the-river-that-disappeared-20091228-lhbj.html