GARDENS OF STONE ALLIANCE JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

The NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has substantiated reports from the Gardens of Stone Alliance finding huge spikes in pollutants from coal mining entering a local creek at the headwaters of Sydney’s drinking water catchment and Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area. 

A clean up notice issued on Friday 23 January requires coal miner Centennial to trial alternatives to dumping dirty mine water into Cooks Dam from today. 

Gardens of Stone Alliance campaigner, Steph Lentz said: 

‘Cooks Dam, situated adjacent to the Mt Piper power station ash dump, has been a source of significant saline and heavy metal pollution (including arsenic, nickel, zinc that are toxic to aquatic life). For many years the dam has degraded Wangcol Creek, through discharges via Licensed Discharge Point 1 (LDP1), directly harming the health of the upper Coxs River.

‘The toxic discharges would make life all but impossible for most aquatic animals. 

‘Gardens of Stone Alliance welcomes this move by the EPA but much more needs to be done. A 2019 NSW Department of Planning and Environment assessment report stated that water flowing from LDP1 was “unsuitable for discharge to Wangcol Creek” ‘.

Nature Conservation Council of NSW spokesperson, Jacqui Mills said:

‘Time is up for Centennial Coal. They need to stop treating the headwaters of Sydney’s drinking water catchment as a dumping ground and find solutions to the large volumes of polluted wastewater generated by their coal operations.

‘Their proposals to dump even larger volumes of toxic water on Sydney’s doorstep must also be rejected.

‘In addition to today’s cease to pollute deadline, we need the EPA to set a deadline for stronger regulatory action following this trial and to set and enforce salinity and discharge limits at Licensed Discharge Point 1’.

Lithgow Environment Group spokesperson, Julie Favell, said: 

‘Toxic brine entering groundwater from EnergyAustralia’s Mount Piper Power Station’s ash dump must also be addressed. 

‘The Gardens of Stone region needs greater protection, not more toxic pollution.’  

Western Sydney University water pollution expert Dr Ian Wright has described this discharge point into Wangcol Creek (LDP1) as ‘the most poorly regulated waste discharge point in the whole of the Sydney Basin.’

Additional information

Water pollution

WaterNSW gauges monitor water quality. On 6 January 2026, WaterNSW realtime data showed salinity in Wangcol Creek reached an alarming 4,152 EC. For comparison, salinity in nearby unpolluted streams is about 30EC. 

Gardens of Stone Alliance member, Lithgow Environment Group, has been monitoring local rivers for 20 years. 

Lithgow Environment Group and Nature Conservation Council of NSW reported to EPA spikes in pollutant readings in the Coxs River on 17 November 2025 and 10 December 2025.

Clean-up notice

 A site inspection was carried out by EPA on 19 November 2025 and a clean up notice issued on 23 January 2026 (Notice Number: 3514814).

To find this notice: Visit the NSW EPA Public Register and search for notice ‘3514814’.

Centennial pollution plans

Centennial Coal has plans to dilute the LDP1 pollution (Springvale Water Treatment Plan, Mod 12) with discharges of partially treated mine wastewater from its Water Treatment Plant, as well as an additional 10ML/day of mine wastewater from Angus Place Colliery. This proposal would add to Centennial’s pollution load entering Sydney’s drinking water and flow through the World Heritage Area via the Coxs River.

Combined, this discharge of ~26 to 30ML/day would contain heavy metals like nickel and zinc.