Peat Mining Operations

Peat was mined at Wingecarribee by Emerald Peat Pty Ltd. This was done by dredging it from a floating pontoon with a dragline. The pontoon floated on a pool of water (the dredge pool) created by the hole left by the removal of peat.

The extracted peat was mixed with water to form a slurry that was pumped to a processing plant. There it was dewatered using presses. The processing water was transferred to a series of sedimentation ponds in a disused quarry where the solids were settled out and the remaining water returned to the swamp.

Mining converted peatlands to open water and because the axis of the swamp had a slope of 1:300, the upstream bank of the dredge pool tended to dry out and crack and become potentially unstable (see environmental impacts and causes of environmental impacts).

References:

Andrew Philippa Resource Officer, Catchment Planning Sydney South Coast Region, Department of Land and Water Conservation Hydrology Comments, Mine Warden Inquiry, May 1997, Exhibit 88.

Minter Ellison, Summary of Submissions by Emerald Peat Pty Ltd, 1997.

Sainty and Associates, Wingecarribee Swamp: Aquatic Vegetation Condition (Health) Restoration Issues, May 1997, pp. 2-3, 8-9.