Join the conversation

Southern Rural Water (SRW) is currently inviting the community to share their thoughts on our formal groundwater licence amendment application.

The amended application seeks approval from SRW to reduce our existing groundwater licence from 4 gigalitres per year to 1.5 gigalitres per year, and amend its use to allow groundwater to be used to fill the mine pit, which is estimated to take seven to ten years.

If approved, the licence will enable Alcoa to accelerate return of the former mine and power station site to the community consistent with the draft Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Plan, while providing long-term environmental benefits sooner, in contrast to a natural fill approach, which is expected to take many decades.

Importantly, more than four years of technical investigation conducted by expert consultants including multiple independent peer reviews, with a high level of regulatory oversight, has not identified any adverse impacts of historic Alcoa groundwater extraction in the past on environmental receptors including the Anglesea River.

Alcoa’s application is a significant step towards achieving our rehabilitation objectives to return a safe and sustainable site that ensures long-term environmental and community outcomes for the Anglesea region.