Lake Cowal
Encyclopedia
Lake Cowal is the largest inland lake
in New South Wales
, Australia
. The lake is ephemeral, being fed by the small Bland Creek and by the occasional flooding of the Lachlan River
. Despite this, it retains a considerable amount of water in about 70% of years.
and is home to a variety of endangered species
. Some of these species include:
The lake is on the Register of the National Estate and in the Directory of Important Wetlands, and it is listed as a Landscape Conservation Area by the National Trust of Australia
.
, a Canadian
company. There is concern among environmental groups and the local Wiradjuri
Aboriginal people that the cyanide used in the mining process prior to 2007 could lead to the contamination of the lake.
1 km wide and 325 meters deep on the lake shore and partly within the high water level of Lake Cowal to produce an estimated 2.7 million ounces of gold.
There has been some conflict between protesters and mining workers over the mining activity taking place on Wiradjuri
land. Despite the benefits economically to the town of West Wyalong
with increased employment.
Barrick Gold
has been granted a Section 90 by National Parks and Wildlife. Lake Cowal is known as the heartland of the Wiradjuri
nation and is rich in artifacts. Wiradjuri
elder Neville "Chappy" Williams
is leading a campaign to save Lake Cowal and the Wiradjuri
heartland.
The Lake Cowal Campaign aims to prevent further gold mining by Barrick Gold in the environmentally-fragile area around Lake Cowal and to stop land degradation and possible toxicity problems from the mine and its tailing dams
. The Wiradjuri
people are being joined in their campaign by various Australian environmentalist
groups who formed the Coalition to Protect Lake Cowal initiated by the Rainforest Information Centre and Friends of the Earth Australia.
The only barrier between the lake and the open pit would be an earth wall or bund. Tailings
would be stored in dams 3.5 km from the lake. Water would be supplied from a bore in the Bland Creek Paleochannel borefield, 20 km east of the mine site and will use up to 17 megalitres per day.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The lake is ephemeral, being fed by the small Bland Creek and by the occasional flooding of the Lachlan River
Lachlan River
- Course :The river rises in the central highland of New South Wales, part of the Great Dividing Range, 13 km east of Gunning. Its major headwaters, the Carcoar River, the Belubula River and the Abercrombie River converge near the town of Cowra. Minor tributaries include the Morongla Creek...
. Despite this, it retains a considerable amount of water in about 70% of years.
Biodiversity
Lake Cowal is situated 47 km North East of West WyalongWest Wyalong, New South Wales
West Wyalong is a town in New South Wales, Australia which is the main town of the Bland Shire, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. It is located 467 km west of Sydney. It is located on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and the Mid-Western...
and is home to a variety of endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. Some of these species include:
- Australian PillwortPilulariaPilularia is a genus of unusual ferns of family Marsileaceae distributed in North Temperate regions, Ethiopian mountains, and the southern hemisphere in Australia, New Zealand, and western South America....
- Australasian BitternBitternBitterns are a classification of birds in the heron family, Ardeidae, a family of wading birds. Species named bitterns tend to be the shorter-necked, often more secretive members of this family...
- Black-necked StorkBlack-necked StorkThe Black-necked Stork is a tall long-necked wading bird in the stork family. It is a resident species across South and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Australia. It lives in wetland habitats to forage for a wide range of animal prey...
- Blue-billed DuckBlue-billed DuckThe Blue-billed Duck is a small Australian stiff-tailed duck, with both the male and female growing to a length of 40 cm . The male has a slate-blue bill which changes to bright-blue during the breeding season, hence the duck’s common name . The male has deep chestnut plumage during breeding...
- Freshwater catfishCatfishCatfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
(protected) - Macquarie perchMacquarie perchThe Macquarie perch is an Australian native freshwater fish of the Murray-Darling river system. It is a member of the Percichthyidae family and is closely related to the golden perch ....
(protected)
The lake is on the Register of the National Estate and in the Directory of Important Wetlands, and it is listed as a Landscape Conservation Area by the National Trust of Australia
National Trust of Australia
The Australian Council of National Trusts is the peak body for community-based, non-government organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's indigenous, natural and historic heritage....
.
Mineral resources and mining
The area surrounding the lake is rich in minerals - especially gold - and is currently being mined by Barrick GoldBarrick Gold
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America...
, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
company. There is concern among environmental groups and the local Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
Aboriginal people that the cyanide used in the mining process prior to 2007 could lead to the contamination of the lake.
Lake Cowal Campaign and Barrick Gold
The Lake Cowal Gold Mine Project plans to encompass approximately 26.50 square kilometres. One hundred and eight million tons of low to medium grade ore would be excavated from an open cut pitOpen-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
1 km wide and 325 meters deep on the lake shore and partly within the high water level of Lake Cowal to produce an estimated 2.7 million ounces of gold.
There has been some conflict between protesters and mining workers over the mining activity taking place on Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
land. Despite the benefits economically to the town of West Wyalong
West Wyalong, New South Wales
West Wyalong is a town in New South Wales, Australia which is the main town of the Bland Shire, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. It is located 467 km west of Sydney. It is located on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and the Mid-Western...
with increased employment.
Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold
Barrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America...
has been granted a Section 90 by National Parks and Wildlife. Lake Cowal is known as the heartland of the Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
nation and is rich in artifacts. Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
elder Neville "Chappy" Williams
Neville Williams
Neville "Chappy" Williams is an elder of the Wiradjuri Nation, in Western New South Wales. Known as "Uncle Chappy" to those who follow indigenous Australian customs, he is a regular at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra and a key opponent of the Barrick Gold Corporation's gold mine project at...
is leading a campaign to save Lake Cowal and the Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
heartland.
The Lake Cowal Campaign aims to prevent further gold mining by Barrick Gold in the environmentally-fragile area around Lake Cowal and to stop land degradation and possible toxicity problems from the mine and its tailing dams
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
. The Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...
people are being joined in their campaign by various Australian environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
groups who formed the Coalition to Protect Lake Cowal initiated by the Rainforest Information Centre and Friends of the Earth Australia.
The only barrier between the lake and the open pit would be an earth wall or bund. Tailings
Tailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
would be stored in dams 3.5 km from the lake. Water would be supplied from a bore in the Bland Creek Paleochannel borefield, 20 km east of the mine site and will use up to 17 megalitres per day.
" Don't desecrate our dreaming site, don't mine our sacred site. I have fought BarrickBarrick GoldBarrick Gold Corporation is the largest pure gold mining company in the world, with its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and four regional business units located in Australia, Africa, North America and South America...
in the courts for over 2 years, now it's time for us all to work together to stop this disaster waiting to happen." - 'Uncle Chappy'Neville WilliamsNeville "Chappy" Williams is an elder of the Wiradjuri Nation, in Western New South Wales. Known as "Uncle Chappy" to those who follow indigenous Australian customs, he is a regular at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra and a key opponent of the Barrick Gold Corporation's gold mine project at...
, May 2004.