Environmental Advocacy in Central Queensland (EnvA) has written to Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell calling for an urgent review of coal mine water release rules, warning the current framework is outdated and failing to account for cumulative impacts across the Fitzroy Basin.
The Fitzroy Basin is the largest catchment flowing to the Great Barrier Reef, yet EnvA says large volumes of highly saline mine-affected water continue to be released during wet seasons, often simultaneously from multiple mines, with limited public transparency and minimal assessment of cumulative impacts.
EnvA says the regulatory framework still relies heavily on findings from a pilot project involving just four coal mines more than a decade ago, despite the number of operating mines increasing to more than 55 and extreme rainfall events becoming more frequent.
Recent releases from the Ensham coal mine highlight the scale of the issue, with approximately 4.3 gigalitres of mine-affected water discharged to the Nogoa River over a two-week period during the 2025–26 wet season — equivalent to around 1,680 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
EnvA Director Dr Coral Rowston said the releases occurred at the same time as multiple other mines were discharging across the basin.
“During major rainfall events, dozens of mines are now releasing mine-affected water simultaneously, yet there is still no meaningful assessment of cumulative impacts across the catchment.
“In the last wet season alone, at least 25 coal mines released water, with 19 mines discharging at the same time from 26 release points. That’s a very different scenario to the small pilot project that still underpins regulation today.”
EnvA also raised concerns about limited transparency, noting that while companies are required to collect daily monitoring data, the public website typically displays only static information recorded at the start of a release.
“This means releases can continue for weeks, but the public sees the same data repeated each day, with no clear understanding of total volumes or changing water quality,” said Dr Rowston.
The group also warned that Temporary Emissions Licences (TELs) are increasingly being used to allow releases outside standard approval conditions, sometimes for extended periods.
EnvA pointed to recent releases from Oaky Creek coal mine, where mine-affected water has been discharged for an extended period under successive TELs, with salinity levels significantly higher than receiving waters.
“Temporary licences appear to be becoming routine rather than reserved for genuine emergencies.
“If mines require repeated TELs to manage water, that suggests existing infrastructure and planning may not be adequate.”
EnvA also raised concerns about limited public access to post-release monitoring reports and receiving environment monitoring results, making it difficult to assess downstream impacts on waterways and coastal environments.
The group is calling on the Queensland Government to:
- Commission a cumulative impact assessment of coal mine water releases in the Fitzroy Basin
- Review and update the regulatory framework for coal mine water releases
- Publish daily release volumes and water quality data during discharge events
- Make 28-day reports publicly available in a timely manner
- Improve public access to receiving environment monitoring reports
- Review the use of Temporary Emissions Licences
- Strengthen compliance and enforcement for coal mine water releases
“Coal mine water releases occur within the largest catchment flowing to the Great Barrier Reef, so ensuring robust and transparent regulation is critical,” Dr Rowston said.
“The current framework no longer reflects the scale of mining or the changing climate. It’s time for a comprehensive review.”
EnvA - CQ 