The Queensland State Government has issued over 73 transitional environmental programs to mining companies to remove substantial amounts of water from their operations and into rivers and waterways.

 

The ongoing effort to remove the water from the state’s mines comes as The Financial Review found that Queensland’s coal mines still have 500 gigalitres, the equivalent of Sydney Harbor, trapped in their pits.

 

Larger corporations have been found to be simply moving water from rich mines to less valuable pits to offset  the damages caused to the most lucrative mines.

 

The news comes as the state faces a $6 billion dollar damage bill from flooding and Cyclone Yasi and $7 billion in lost profits to companies, totaling a loss of $600 million in lost royalties to the state.