Water fears: Northern Illawarra Sustainability Alliance spokesman Peter Turner and retired geoscientist Anne Young near an approved Apex borehole in Darkes Forest. Picture: John Veage
A PUBLIC meeting was held at Helensburgh Workers Club on Monday to hear community concerns about a plan by coal seam gas mining firm Apex Energy to drill a 16th bore hole at Darkes Forest.
The meeting, convened by the NSW Planning Assessment Commission, came on the heels of a 3000-strong rally against coal seam gas mining on the Sea Cliff Bridge near Clifton on Sunday.
Northern Illawarra Sustainability Alliance spokesman Peter Turner, who was at the meeting, feared the bore hole would pave the way for mining inside Sydney Catchment Authority’s special areas if it was approved.
‘‘So far Apex have 15 approved exploration bores, 10 of which are on special areas land. If the new bore gets approved, that would be an implicit approval for a commercial gas field across an area set aside by Parliament in 1998 to protect our water,’’ Mr Turner said.
Retired geosciences academic Ann Young, who was at the meeting, completed her PhD on the upland swamps of the Woronora plateau and is worried about coal seam gas mining’s impact on Sydney’s water system.
St George and Sutherland Leader
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