Whats wrong with ruby mining at Barrington Tops?
The rare wilderness environment of the Barrington Tops would be destroyed.Ruby and sapphire exploration licence activities will disrupt or destroy wetlands, swamps and rivers, and is a real threat to the future health of the region’s rivers and water supply.Twelve rivers, including the Manning and Hunter Rivers, begin flowing and source their pristine water from the Barrington Tops. These provide water to over a million people living in the Hunter, Central Coast, Manning, Great Lakes and Port Stephens regions. Water aquifers and watercourse could be damaged by drilling in the river beds.Water quality and quantity downstream will be affected – quality of the water cannot be guaranteed to be unaltered even with best practice by the mining company.During drought time, it will be necessary to pump water from the riviere to maintain the water level of the tailings dam.Dirty water could enter the Manning River from the nearby tailings dam in times of extreme weather conditions. An area of en
