A Bylong resident has resorted to wearing swimming goggles to protect his eyes from plumes of dust caused by high traffic volumes on the nearby Wollar Road.
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Graham Tanner said he has recorded up to 100 semi-trailer load movements on the 19 kilometre gravel stretch between Bylong and Wollar in a single day.
“We’re getting smothered,” he said.
“It’s like a freeway - the cars create just as much dust as the trucks. It’s a mine road now.”
Mr Tanner has undergone eye surgery twice to remove pterygiums – a lesion on the eye caused by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light and irritants such as wind and dust.
“I first tried wearing protective goggles and that didn’t work so I tried goggles and now I’m wearing swimming goggles,” he said.
“My eyes feel like they have sand in them all day. It gets in your throat, your nose. You just choke.
“I shouldn’t have to wear swimming goggles on my own farm in the middle of nowhere.”
He said dust that travels from mines in the Upper Hunter Valley is further exacerbating the problem.
“It’s everywhere, it’s here 24 hours a day, there’s no relief from it.
“No further or ongoing water cart treatment is planned as part of regular scheduled maintenance for this or other roads of comparable condition.”
“It sits especially when there is no wind.”
Concerns over truck volumes were raised by residents of the Wollar district at a public meeting to discuss the proposed expansion of Wilpinjong Coal Mine last week.
One resident said she recorded 23 trucks travelling on the road in a single afternoon.
Mid-Western Regional Council confirmed it has secured funding to seal the Wollar Road within the next few years.
“We have been awarded $14m of the $15m project from Resources for Regions,” the spokesperson said.
“The project is currently is the design and environmental assessment stages. Sealing will be undertaken over the next few years.”
Council said by securing this grant funding it was able to negotiate different investments in community infrastructure as part of a Voluntary Planning Agreement from KEPCO – the Korean power company that is seeking to develop two open cut mines and a third underground mine in Bylong.
The VPA commits to providing $325,000 to council annually, a total of $8.95 million over the 27 year life of the mine and will go on public exhibition this week.
In the meantime, council’s spokesperson said the road had recently been graded and a water truck was used as part of council’s maintenance schedule.
“Grading is particularly difficult in hot, dry conditions which is why council did water the road after scheduled grading,” the spokesperson said.
“No further or ongoing water cart treatment is planned as part of regular scheduled maintenance for this or other roads of comparable condition.”
