CQG Consulting: Merging scientific and cultural insights for waterway health Monitoring waterways and ecological health of the Fitzroy Basin is an important task and a key focus for the Partnership. A local team of scientists from one of FPRH founding members, CQG Consulting has been conducting water quality testing, delivering environmental monitoring programs and ecological surveys across the catchment for over 20 years. In 2019, the CQG team formed Tunuba, a company with the Darumbal People to collaboratively deliver a comprehensive approach for clients, through a merging of scientific skills underpinned by tens of thousands of years of cultural knowledge. As part of this collaboration and a two-way knowledge sharing, CQG’s scientists have been training Tunuba Rangers to undertake water quality monitoring, treat weeds and to capture and protect fauna. CQG’s Founder and Director, Patrice Brown said scientists can learn a lot about natural environments and the relationships between waters and land by working with Traditional Owners and listening to the stories told by the elders. Our scientists have an enormous respect for First Nations People and are fortunate to regularly learn [...]

Anglo American: projects target freshwater reductions Two Anglo American sustainability projects are returning 2,200 million litres of freshwater a year to the Fitzroy Basin for the benefit of the community and environment. Anglo American embarked on a plan to reduce its water footprint globally, setting ambitious targets to increase re-use and recycling of water to 85% of total use and cut its freshwater use by 50% by 2030. Playing its part in this global plan, Anglo American’s five steelmaking coal operations in Central Queensland, both underground and open cut mines, have invested in a series of major projects that aim to deliver on these targets. A reverse osmosis plant (ROP) has been commissioned for the Capcoal operations at Middlemount to replace freshwater imports with recycled mine water, saving 1,200 million litres per year of freshwater. In May 2024, a new mine water supply control system on the Dawson River, which supplies freshwater to the Dawson Mine and the community around Moura, will act to reduce freshwater imports into the Dawson Mine itself by 90%, saving up to 1,000 million litres per year. [...]

Peabody Engergy: Burton Mine on track for sustainable rehabilitation Peabody’s Australian operations continue working towards certification under the Minerals Council of Australia’s Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) protocol. These efforts are driving performance, transparency and excellence in key areas of our environmental and social programs. The TSM Water Stewardship Protocol recognises that water is a precious shared resource with high social, cultural, environmental and economic value. Access to water by the community has been recognised as a right; integral to wellbeing, livelihoods and the spiritual and cultural practices of community members. It’s also essential to the healthy functioning of ecosystems and the services they provide. Through Peabody’s risk management framework, each of our mines aligns its water management strategy with the specific challenges of its region and regularly monitors performance to meet environmental and social values. Peabody’s Burton Mine is currently progressing through the mine closure phase. By the end of 2024, the Burton team will have completed a total of 1,479 hectares of rehabilitation, including all closure works, three years ahead of schedule. This achievement will significantly reduce sediment runoff and erosion. [...]