The Terminal is located in the tropics where hot weather and heavy rainfall are common in the summer months.

Therefore, the Terminal has infrastructure and procedures in place to allow its operator, Abbot Point Operations (APO), to safely and responsibly manage rainwater and overland flows from rain that falls outside the site boundaries.

This water is captured and stored to ensure that any stormwater that is released complies with stringent water quality limits for total suspended solids (TSS) standard of 30mg/L as required by environmental regulations. This is the strictest water quality compliance condition of all the Queensland coal terminals.

During heavy rain, influxes of fresh water to the adjacent Caley Valley Wetlands can cause water quality, especially turbidly, to decline quickly. This has resulted in naturally increased high levels of TSS being recorded in the Caley Valley Wetlands. This has been recorded in recent years at more than fifteen times the Terminal’s stormwater discharge TSS requirements. APO uses the Terminal’s settling ponds and a Flocculant Dosing Plant (FDP) to remove dirt, sticks and plant matter to improve water quality.

The stormwater discharged after this process is complete is often of a lower turbidity than that of the receiving environment, ensuring neighbouring wetlands are kept in pristine condition. APO ensures the water is less turbid when leaving the Terminal than water in neighbouring watercourses.

APO maintains two automated water quality monitoring stations. The monitoring stations also collect samples for subsequent laboratory testing. The stations are solar powered, with a battery backup, reducing our energy use and emissions.

NQXT Pty Ltd has also invested in a range of infrastructure initiatives to manage water releases.

This includes initiatives focused on:

  • Preventing water entering the site,
  • Managing and directing water flows across the site,
  • Storing water for compliant releases, and
  • Measuring and treating water to ensure quality compliant releases.