Mining companies must reveal water plans for the Wenlock

The Wilderness Society (Queensland) Inc
Media Release
1 December 2008

The Wilderness Society (TWS) today called on bauxite mining companies Rio Tinto and Cape Alumina to come clean about their water plans for the wild Wenlock River on Cape York Peninsula. TWS is concerned that the companies have been seeking special exemptions from the Queensland Government’s Wild River protection policies for the river before nomination plans have even been released.

Glenn Walker, Wild Rivers Campaigner for TWS said: “The Wenlock River is one of our last great wild rivers. It has immense importance as it is home to the richest diversity of freshwater fish species in Australia and is an important oasis for native wildlife on Cape York during the dry season”.

Since 2004, the Wenlock River has been on the schedule for protection under Queensland’s Wild Rivers Act 2005, and a draft protection plan is finally due for release within weeks. TWS believes global mining giant Rio Tinto and new bauxite mining company Cape Alumina have been seeking exemptions for water access from the protection plan.

Mr Walker said: “Currently Rio Tinto operates under archaic laws from the 1950s and 1960s on Cape York, which allows the company to take a staggering 80% of the water from the Wenlock, and build dams without proper environmental approvals.”

“We understand Rio is seeking to ’offer’ to the Government that they will reduce their water allocation to 90,000 mega-litres per annum for the Wenlock River, in an attempt at portraying the company as a good corporate citizen. However, this is still a huge volume of water, comparing to Brisbane’s current yearly water consumption, and would seriously starve the Wenlock of critical flows. We don’t believe this is a responsible or sustainable way for Rio to approach river protection”.

At the same time, TWS is very concerned about the water plans of another mining outfit in the same area. TWS understands that Cape Alumina - the company locked in a public stoush with Terri Irwin over their plans to mine the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve - lodged a water license application to the Department of Natural Resources and Water in July this year.  This was well ahead of when the Wenlock protection plan could be released. However, it appears that the company has had its water license application returned without any decision because it applied to the wrong department. 

“Cape Alumina’s water license application suggests a serious lack of understanding of the fragile ecology of the Wenlock River. It could reduce critical dry season flows by up to 30%. It appears its water plans were so poorly researched that the company didn’t even know the water extraction point is within a tidal area, hence their application being returned by the Department of Natural Resources and Water” said Mr Walker.

“The Wenlock River must be protected from damaging water plans from these mining activities. The public has a right to know exactly what these companies are now planning, and needs to be reassured that they will not stand in the way of the Wild River protection for the Wenlock” concluded Mr Walker.