Towards Eden: Sarah Henderson backs Eden Project Anglesea

VICTORIAN Senator Sarah Henderson has thrown her support behind the Eden Project’s proposals for the former Anglesea coal mine.

The $150 million eco-tourism concept for the site is based on the mine void becoming a water body that is at least half full, which would represent about 8-9 gigalitres of water.

Alcoa, which is working with the Eden Project on the Anglesea proposal, successfully submitted an application to Southern Rural Water last year to conduct a 12-month pumping test of the Upper Eastern View Aquifer – part of the plan to half-fill the void within five years – and will extract 1.5 gigalitres of water.

Senator Henderson recently visited the former coal mine, which officially closed in August 2015 and has been slowly rehabilitated since then, including the demolition of the power station in October 2018 and the subsequent clearing of the site.

She described the transformation of the mine as “magical” and made one of her first public expressions of support for Eden Project Anglesea.

“Since the coal mine and power station closed in 2015, Alcoa has completed very major earthmoving and environmental restoration works,” she said.

“I am incredibly excited about the prospect of the Eden Project establishing a world class eco-tourism development at the site.

“The Eden Project Anglesea represents an incredible vision.

“I have been pleased to meet with Eden and Alcoa representatives over a number of months to discuss how this dream might be realised.”

Senator Henderson said the testing, which she said would start shortly, would determine if it was environmentally feasible to use the Anglesea aquifer to fill the coal mine.

“The Eden Project concept depends on the creation of a large lake, which would take decades if rainfall was the only source of water. Underground water must only be used if it meets strict environmental standards.”

The mine void being at least-half full is a key enabler for not only Eden Project Anglesea – which has “water”, “earth”, “fire” and “air” concepts – but also Alcoa’s Anglesea Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan.

According to an Alcoa factsheet about the mine filling strategy and groundwater pumping test, using water from the Upper Eastern View aquifer will allow longer-term filling options to be investigated in the meantime.

“It is the only option that will meet the timeline outlined by Eden Project International for the water body to be filled to at least 50 per cent by about 2024 and will allow the project concept to progress with further design, planning and infrastructure studies,” the factsheet states.