Chinese Company to Open Water Mining Op in Australia

A Chinese company will be opening a water mining operation in Queensland, Australia. This endeavor hopes to bring water to a population that is rapidly running out of it.

Currently, people in Queensland are living on water rations. The water supply is threatening to dry out soon. 

The Chinese company is called Joyful View Garden Real Estate Development Resort Pty Ltd. . Their application was recently greenlit by the Southern Downs regional council to build their water mining operation. 

Apart from mere extraction, they will also be creating a distribution facility. This distribution facility will be located at Cherrabah. This is a property located near the border of Queensland and New South Wales border.

Documents show that the water that Joyful View extracts will be sent to a bottling company located in the Gold Coast. 

The operation by Joyful View will reportedly bring 96m liters of water every year to Queensland that is experiencing a severe drought. 

In order to help battle the current state that Queensland is in, the local council has restricted the water of the residents to a mere 80 liters a day. 

It is expected that in a few weeks’ time, the water supply in Stanthorpe will be completely depleted. 

People near Cherrabah have weighed in on how bad the water crisis really is. They say they haven’t had a steady supply of water in quite a while. Instead, they have been ordering water by truck every single day. Cattle farmers had to let go of their cattle because of this.

Joyful View has had their eyes on the property at Cherrabah. They initially proposed to build a resort. However, in 2016, they pulled that proposal due to a number of factors. 

There were a number of environmental factors that gave Joyful View pause. Chief among them is the population of spotted-tail quolls that they need to be mindful of.

However, the connection of Joyful View and Cherrabah goes far beyond 2016. 

In 2008, the local government already gave the license for water extraction to Joyful View. It was initially given in 2008, and it was extended in 2016 to go all the way to 2111. This gives Joyful View 92 years to extract water in the location. 

In 2018, a proposal for a water mining facility in the area was already put on the table. However, at the time, the council declined it. 

That is why the current residents are actually quite surprised by the recent announcement of Joyful View’s future endeavors.