Acland coal mine: Closing submissions as farmers fear groundwater loss

The expansion of the Acland coal mine puts groundwater in one of Queensland's most fertile regions at risk, farmers have said, ahead of closing submissions in their Land Court battle.

The Oakey Coal Action Alliance has spent the last seven months fighting stage three of New Hope's mine.

Opponents claim air quality will worsen and the expansion would swallow up nearly 1,400 hectares of strategic cropping land and cause groundwater to drop by almost 50 metres in some places.

The mine, west of Brisbane, is said to run out of coal early next year and unless stage three is approved, hundreds of jobs will be lost.

Read the ABC story - “Acland coal mine: Closing submissions as farmers fear groundwater loss.”