CLARENCE
CATCHMENT ALLIANCE

What is the CCA?

The Clarence Catchment Alliance (CCA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit, community volunteer group that educates, collaborates, and facilitates an avenue for community voices to be heard. The CCA operates as a sub-group of the Clarence Environment Centre. Clarence community is opposed to mineral mining in the Clarence Catchment because of the risk it poses to our water quality and the threat to our mighty river - The Clarence River; the literal backbone of our social, cultural, environmental, and economic wellbeing.

We ask that our catchment, and major river system, be recognised as a unique living entity of high conservation value, with strong cultural and social significance that is crucial to the survival of many protected and endangered species and our local water-based economy. We aim to reinforce our current and historical reliance on the Mighty Clarence River and the importance of ensuring it remains pristine. To set a precedent for other communities, so that we can all protect these types of areas permanently from mining, would be a wonderful result.

The Problem

The Clarence River Catchment is under threat from mineral mining, with active explorations happening across its plateaus and right beside its rivers, streams, and tributaries.

At the time of publication, there are 18 mineral Mining Leases (MLs) and Gold Leases (GLs) held in the NSW electorate of Clarence. There are 40+ mineral Exploration Licences (ELs) held in the catchment and a growing number of new Mineral Assessment Lease Applications (ALAs) lodged. These are more often than not approved.

The exploration sites are in delicate water catchment areas beside the Clarence, Mann, and Nymboida Rivers, and on the Dorrigo Plateau, which is the drinking water source for the Clarence, Coffs, and Bellingen shires.

This is Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr Country and the rivers they sit beside flow through to the ocean on Yaegl Country.

The unique biodiversity of the area includes endangered, protected, and threatened species such as the Koala, Eastern Freshwater Cod, and Platypus.

The NSW government protects the Eastern Freshwater Cod and shuts down the upper Mann, Clarence, and Nymboida rivers for three months a year for spawning. The same department approves mineral mining exploration licenses on the unstable, sloping land right beside them.

If mining exploration progresses to extraction these plateaus would be reduced to rubble and our water source could be poisoned by chemical and acidic runoff forever.

Mining and tailings dams pose a high risk to waterways, a problem heightened in the Clarence where steep terrain, high rainfall, and fragile geology, combine to contribute to frequent land slippages. The chances of tailings dam failure are heightened due to this.

Evidence from around the world shows the negative impact extractive industries have on waterways and catchments. Tailings dams remain forever, long after mines close and they fail, and leech into waterways. There is a greater risk of this in high rainfall, flood, and landslip zones like the Northern Rivers. This is why we are so opposed to mining here. MINES POISON WATER.

The local Timbarra gold mine did enormous damage to the Clarence River in the 90s, with cyanide contaminating waterways. It was a controversial local battle until it was finally closed. Toxic tailings dams remain, however.

Local professional fishermen remember the mutated seafood of the 70s, linked to the leaching of cyanide and other toxic substances from active gold mines at Drake in the Upper Clarence catchment. 

Recent heavy rains and catastrophic floods show how quickly water moves from upriver, through our towns, and into the ocean. Steep terrain and unstable ground mean landslips are common. This highlights how risky mine tailing dams would be in this area. There is a high risk that they would overflow or fail to release contaminants into rivers.

Water is our community's common thread. We have 175+ years of heritage industries as well as more recent sectors that our local economy relies on and they are all water-reliant.

Local seafood, dairy, sugar cane, livestock, agri-food, crops, and tourism, and the industries that serve them, need clean water. No promise of mining jobs can outweigh the potential decimation of the millions of dollars and employment these sectors already provide.