Centennial Coal’s Plan to Dump Millions of Litres of Toxic Water in Sydney’s Drinking Water Catchment Must Be Rejected
Centennial Coal’s latest bid to dump an additional 42 million litres of toxic wastewater daily into Sydney’s drinking water catchment is a reckless attack on the health of millions of Sydneysiders and a disaster for the environment, says Greens MP and mining spokesperson Cate Faehrmann.
The company’s proposal is designed to facilitate their Angus Place West expansion, which would extract two million tonnes of coal annually. To make way for this expansion, Centennial is looking to discharge untreated mine wastewater, laden with heavy metals, into Sydney's drinking water catchment. The company lacks the infrastructure to safely manage the 20 billion litres of groundwater it extracts every year.
“This is an absolute disgrace,” said Cate Faehrmann, Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment. “Sydneysiders are already losing trust in the safety of their drinking water after a series of PFAS pollution scares, and now Centennial wants to flush toxic sludge into the system.”
“The coal industry has been getting away with environmental destruction for decades, and enough is enough. If Centennial can’t afford to treat its wastewater properly, then it shouldn’t be mining coal. The public should not be forced to foot the bill for their pollution.”
“The proposed wastewater discharge would flow into the headwaters of Sydney’s drinking water catchment. Also, the Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area—home to more than 80 rare and threatened species—sits adjacent to Centennial’s mining operations and faces further devastation if this plan goes ahead.”
“Centennial’s ‘dilute and pollute’ strategy is a farce,” Cate Faehrmann said. “There is zero evidence that dilution makes this water safe for release into the environment. In fact, experts have warned that this could make the pollution even worse (source 1). The Minns Government must intervene and ensure this application doesn’t proceed.”
The Nature Conservation Council (NCC) has also raised the alarm, pointing to additional applications by Centennial to dump up to 68.5 million litres of wastewater a day into Sydney’s fragile catchment. A recent report by the NCC and the Gardens of Stone Alliance, Centennial Coal: Environmental Scorecard in the Gardens of Stone (source 2) exposes the company’s appalling track record:
- Over 23 years, Centennial has breached its environmental licence more than 1,400 times across seven coal mine sites in the Greater Blue Mountains region.
- Despite repeated breaches, regulation has failed to stop the company’s continued destruction of critical waterways.
- The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) only moved to tighten some pollution limits in late 2024—far too little, far too late.
“Time and again, polluting industries get a slap on the wrist while our environment and communities suffer,” Cate Faehrmann said. “Regulators are stretched to their limits, but this should be an easy decision—this application must be rejected.”
“The NSW Government must step in and stop Centennial’s latest assault on our drinking water and environment before it’s too late.”