NSW and Queensland coal industry uses as much water as all Sydney households, report finds

The coal industry in New South Wales and Queensland is using as much water as all of Sydney’s households, according to new research. A new report by University of Adelaide water resources academic Ian Overton, commissioned by the Australian Conservation Foundation, used public data to examine the impact of coal mining and coal-fired power on water resources.

It finds the amount of water consumed by coal mining and coal-fired power in NSW and Queensland is about 383bn litres a year, roughly equivalent to the household water needs of 5.2 million people. The report finds the amount of freshwater withdrawn from water resources for the coal industry each year in those states is 2,383bn litres. About 1,970bn litres of this water is released back into the environment but, the report says, often it has been polluted or processed in such a way that it is harmful to fish, plants and other species. The research says the amount of water used by coal-fired power is 120 times the amount of water used by wind or solar.

The report highlights the fact that as Australia’s coal mining activities are concentrated in particular areas, such as NSW’s Hunter region or the Bowen Basin in Queensland, the impact of water use in these areas would be more significant. Kelly O’Shanassy, the chief executive of the Australian Conservation Foundation, said the intent of the research was to highlight the impact of the coal industry’s water use on a dry continent like Australia, and also to draw attention to gaps in data.

Source: Guardian