Public Forum:  Dr Ian Wright on coal pollution and the Royal National Park

Sutherland Shire Environment Centre is an independent, not-for-profit, community organisation actively involved in a wide range of projects aimed at maintaining the natural beauty and character of our Shire, and surrounding waterways and parks.We are committed to “thinking globally and acting locally”, and are supportive of all others in the community – business, council, government, and residents – who are acting positively towards the environment, and promoting a sustainable future.

Sutherland Shire Environment Centre

Our beautiful Royal National Park polluted by coal mine sludge waste - come along to learn more, and how to stop it

Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts Centre

The Royal National Park is iconic, an extraordinarily beautiful natural area. It also has a coal mine as a neighbour, Peabody's Metropolitan Colliery. Coal waste pollution, black sludge from that mine has been allowed to escape into the Hacking River, a waterway that flows for over 10kms through the length and heart of the Royal National Park. Come along to this public forum to learn more about what happened, and how effective the cleanup has been. Help advocate for Peabody’s Environment Protection Licence to be changed, and consider what needs to be done to ensure this sort of environmentally destructive pollution never happens again. The Royal National Park was established 150 years ago as a visionary legacy: a green haven and refuge for both animals and the people of Sydney. To have its waterways run black due to coal sludge pollution strikes at the founding principles of this legacy.

<h3>Public Forum with  Dr Ian Wright – Western Sydney University</h3>Other speakers:•	Sue Higginson Greens MLC. Sue is an environmental law expert and has practiced as a public interest environmental lawyer. She is the former Principal Solicitor and CEO of the Environmental Defenders Office, Australia's leading public interest environmental law centre. Sue visited Camp Gully Creek in September. Her involvement was critical in raising the public interest in this issue and drawing the attention of the media. To be confirmed:•	The NSW EPA and NPWS have both been invited•	Local Heathcote MP Lee EvansDr Wright is a recognised expert in the field of freshwater ecology, water quality, water policy and the science and management of water pollution. He has previously worked as a scientist in the urban water industry, with Sydney Water. The Environmental Defenders Office has engaged him as a specialist consultant, and he has separately provided independent expert testimony on environmental science matters for the NSW Land &amp; Environment Court. Dr Wright has a long-standing research interest in the impact of coal mining activities on streams and rivers. More recently he's investigated coal mine pollution in Camp Gully creek, which is directly adjacent to the mine surface, the source of the recent pollution events. He took water samples there in August this year, before the EPA logged the most recent pollution that escaped from the mine.T﻿he results of this independent testing have now been finalised.

Public Forum: Dr Ian Wright on coal pollution and the Royal National Park

Public Forum:  Dr Ian Wright on coal pollution and the Royal National Park