Worth Recycling at South Windsor has put a halt to the processing of coal seam gas (CSG) wastewater at its facility.
Hawkesbury Council’s general manager Peter Jackson said the halt was due to concerns within the community about the transportation of CSG flowback water from the Gloucester project into the Hawkesbury.
A spokesman for AGL said Worth Recycling had collected flowback water from the Waukivory Pilot Program only over a five-day period from January 5 to 9 this year.
‘‘Transportation and treatment of flowback water has not occurred since,’’ he said, declining to say whether AGL had an alternative destination for the waste.
Worth’s Recycling general manager Steve Matthews said the facility was ‘‘no longer accepting flowback waters generated from CSG’’.
‘‘While it is disappointing to not treat waters that we are licensed to receive, we understand and appreciate the level of concern raised by the Council and the community, so until a greater understanding and acceptance by all parties is achieved, Worth Recycling will not receive these waters at our South Windsor facility,’’ he said.
Earlier this month a group of concerned residents held an anti-CSG protest outside Hawkesbury Council at Windsor, addressed by Greens MP John Kaye, Greens state candidate for Hawkesbury Danielle Wheeler and Independent candidate Kate Mackaness.
Mr Kaye said the facility’s decision to refuse CSG wastewater was welcomed by The Greens.
“The CSG industry should not be permitted to export its toxins to other parts of the state like the Hawkesbury,” Mr Kaye said.
Greens candidate for Hawkesbury Danielle Wheeler said ‘‘if no one will take the waste from this industry, maybe it is time AGL realised no one wants the industry at all’’.
Independent Kate Mackaness said there were still concerns.
‘‘How many companies are qualified in NSW to ‘receive’ any byproduct of CSG mining? Where exactly will the water go?’’ she asked.
‘‘The lack of useful information currently available on the EPA website appears sinister and deliberate.
‘‘If it isn’t deliberate then the EPA should not be responsible for protecting this community because they must be incompetent.’’
