Gloucester Coal Chief Executive Officer Rob Lord said Duralie Coal has asked the state government for permission to discharge up to 500 million litres of waste mine water into Mammy Johnsons River over two years.

Mr Lord said the mine’s waste water storage dam was near capacity and the irrigation scheme designed to dispose of dirty water was failing due to waterlogged soils.

Dumping water into the local river was the most cost effective and possibly the best environmental solution to the mine’s waste water problem, Mr Lord said.

“We have been told by expert consultants in the field that discharging excess water to the river is a viable option,” Mr Lord said.

“In some ways it is a more environmentally sensitive option as irrigation takes a lot of energy.”

Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) Hunter Region Manager Grahame Clarke said his department was seeking clarification from the Department of Planning on the status of the mine’s consent conditions, which were “a little bit unclear” in relation to riverine discharge.

“If the planning department says they do have consent to discharge then we are obliged to assess their application,” Mr Clarke said.

Mr Clarke said a number of the region’s mines were licensed to discharge waste water into creeks and rivers, including the Stratford Mine south of Gloucester.

Mammy Johnson’s River flows directly into the Karuah River near Stroud.

The Karuah River is the major source of drinking water for the villages of Stroud and Stroud Road.

More than 40 farmers rely on the Karuah and Mammy Johnson’s rivers for irrigation and stock water.

NSW Farmers Stroud Branch, Johnson’s Creek Conservation Committee and the Barrington-Gloucester-Stroud Alliance have responded to the mine’s plans by organising a public meeting in Stroud on Saturday.

Stroud farmer Doyne Lanham said state government promises in 2006 that the mine would remain a no-discharge facility now appeared “worthless.”

“While this situation has always been a fear, we were given assurances by Minister Sartor that this mine was not licensed to discharge.”

Mr Lanham said he believed the mine had other options for dealing with the waste water, but high coal prices meant the mine did not want to use its back-up plan of storing water in the mine pit.

Mr Lord said that while water could be stored in the mine pit without affecting production, this was a short term solution.

The company was holding “preliminary discussion” with state government about other disposal methods including additional on site water storage and increased irrigation capacity.

Barrington-Gloucester -Stroud Preservation Alliance president Tony Tersteeg said problems with disposal of waste water had always been an issue at Duralie.

“Right from the very start of the proposed mine, community concerns have centered on the probability of discharge of polluted water from the mine into Mammy Johnsons River and from there into the Karuah River and eventually into Port Stephens itself” Mr Tersteeg said.

Greens MP and mining spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on Mining Minister Ian Macdonald to immediately cease operations at Duralie.

A public meeting will be held at the Stroud School of Arts at 1.30pm on Saturday August 23.

Speakers will include Doyne Lanham and Tony Tersteeg.

Mr Lord said it was unlikely a mine representative would attend the public meeting.