Patrice Newell visits the Kangaloon Aquifer site.

Save Water Alliance group
with Patrice Newell and friends
Today, Patrice Newell, founder of the Climate Change Coalition, visited the Kangaloon Aquifer, on an informal "study tour". Patrice brought with her friends, Dr Mark Tredinnick, and Janie Chapman, both of whom have recently moved to the Southern Highlands. Welcome to you both.
From left: Bernie, Mark, Olivia, John, Patrice, Janie, Pater and Kim

Patrice has been supporting us for some time, as she was one of the first people to raise the issue of subsidence in relation to the Kangaloon Aquifer.
Illawarra Plateau contains the
Nepean and Avon Catchments
plus the "Southern CoalFields"
It was great to be able to show her around the place today, and explain both the big issues of the entire Woronora (Illawarra) Plateau, (see photo) the Nepean Catchment, the "Southern Coalfields" as they are known, and also the smaller scale issues of rare and endangered plants and animals, which warrant protection.




Avon Dam (under early morning fog)
with the edge of the
Illawarra Escarpment visible.
Above all, the draining of the Kangaloon Aquifer is a silly, expensive and futile nonsense. Especially if coal mining is going to undermine (literally) the Kangaloon Aquifer. The SCA might well lose the precious water to the coal miners, anyway. (Not that I endorse that as an outcome!!!)
The photo is taken above the Gujarat NRE coal lease. The former Huntley Mine, near Dapto, goes directly under the escarpment, under the Avon Dam and the Kangaloon Aquifer.

We also talked about the Shoalhaven Transfer system, in which the Shoalhaven River is being drained to keep Sydney in the deluded state of belief that all is well with the Sydney Water Supply. All is not well. The real intent of the Shoalhaven Transfer system is to get Shoalhaven water into the Avon Dam, as it is a much larger dam than the Nepean Dam.
The sad fact is that a huge pipeline is intended to run the full length of Tourist Road, to take Shoalhaven water from the Wingecarribee Dam (where it is currently pumped to), along Tourist Road, and then across country, to the Avon Dam.
Butler's Swamp
Butler's Swamp has the highest "biodiversity rating" in the
Kangaloon Aquifer area. It is subject of much debate currently, as the SCA has just released a book of quotes which claim that it will not be affected by pumping. As yet, no data to support these claims have been released.