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Aquifer trial doesn't hold water
Wednesday 13 February, 2008 12:00am
SOFTDRINK giant Coca-Cola Amatil has been accused of not fulfilling a court order aimed at safeguarding the sensitive Mangrove Mountain aquifer.
Resident Peter Campbell said the company did not complete a groundwater extraction trial at its Peats Ridge bore field.
The claim comes as Gosford Council continues to review an application from the company to make permanent its trial period extraction quota of 66 megalitres.
In 2005, the Land and Environment Court ruled the company could increase its temporary quota from 25 megalitres a year to 66 megalitres a year .
However, this was on the condition it run a two-year trial to see what effect the extraction would have on aquifer levels. The trial ended on December 31.
Mr Campbell, of Peats Ridge, told Gosford councillors the company had pumped only half its trial allocation.
He based his information on a report, prepared by environmental consultancy GHD.
The report stated: "The overall extraction over the monitoring period was only about half of the volume granted in the temporary licence."
Mr Campbell said the company had not fulfilled its obligations.
"Trial means putting to the test there's nothing to say what damage they could do to the aquifer," he said.
"[Coca-Cola Amatil] has not pumped 66 megalitres a year for two years and therefore cannot provide the evidence there will be no permanent adverse impact on the aquifer in this location."
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