3MAY21 - Letter to NSW Minister for Water

This is a copy of a submission issued to the NSW Minister for Water, which we are sharing with permission from the author. Please use this to help formulate your responses/submissions to the key decision makers.

Hello Melinda.

Thank you for the opportunity to raise our concerns with you about the impact that a proposed quarry will have on groundwater and the water table near us. We are currently surrounded by 3 quarries.

The negative impacts of quarries on water nearby are very well known. These include inter alia:

. they disrupt the existing movement and turbidity of surface water and groundwater; they interrupt natural water recharge and can lead to reduced quantity and quality of drinking water for residents and wildlife near or downstream from the quarry site.

. lowering of local ground-water and surface-water levels,

• they interrupt ground-water conduit flow paths by rock removal,

• they can cause temperature change (thermal impacts) in springs and surface-water streams

. the potential to impair water quality on the site, including harm to the aquifer

•the potential to harm water quality of residential wells close by, and

•the potential to impact provincially specific wetlands.

Our main concerns are the quality and quantity of water, not only for our use but also for local flora and fauna.

The final decision rests with the Minister for Planning but we believe that our concerns about water come under your bailiwick. What we would like is for you to make the Planning Minister aware of our deep concerns and to follow the approval process closely to ensure that due diligence is applied at each stage of the approval process. We believe that your opinion will way heavily on the final outcome as water is essential for all forms of life. We do not want to have the situation where animals, plants insects etc are dying because the water has gone or is contaminated. I want to thank you for your interest in this matter and hope you can be of assistance.