UPDATED 3.20pm THE NSW government has announced a new water modelling and monitoring initiative, in an effort to boost community confidence in coal seam gas (CSG).
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"What we are launching here today is a more robust and better way of communicating to the community just what is happening with groundwater right across NSW,” said Water Minister Kevin Humphries, who is at AgQuip today.
“For the first time in Australia state-of-the-art computer modelling will be used in conjunction with groundwater baseline data to map and protect underground water resources in NSW.”
The modelling project follows NSW Chief Scientist Mary O’Kane's interim report on CSG that said increased and improved modelling of groundwater resources should be a provided as the industry developed.
A key benefit from the initiative will come from collecting the wealth of groundwater monitoring data from NSW Office of Water’s 5000 existing bores, and modelling the information in a user-friendly internet resource.
Initially, modelling has been done on three distinct basins which have current CSG project proposals: Gunnedah (Santos’ Narrabri project), Gloucester (AGL) and Clarence Moreton (Metgasco’s Northern Rivers project).
Mr Humphries and Water Commissioner Jock Laurie announced the Water Monitoring Framework today at AgQuip in Gunnedah.
Water loss from aquifer de-pressurisation from CSG drilling has been a consistent concern from NSW farmers.
New bores will be sunk in the future in strategic areas to provide real time water quality and level measurements which would identify sudden changes from such damage.
“We want to know exactly what our water reality situation is - our water balance - in each of those basins before anybody else wants to get in to the game from a production level,” Mr Humphries said.
Mr Laurie said the modelling data would be “really critical” in the debate over CSG and water use.
“We need to understand where that water is coming from, and potentially where the impacts are, so that it can be managed."
Lock the Gate spokeswoman George Woods welcomed the modelling initiative, and said it would provide “vital information” for the community.
However, she said the baseline groundwater measurements from the modelling initiative must be established prior to development of CSG projects.
“Baseline measurements need to be upfront not down the track,” Ms Woods said.
“There has been no commitment from the government that they won’t approve the Narrabri or Gloucester project prior to this water modelling being complete.”
Santos welcomed the new modelling initiative, which will incorporate all water users’ monitoring data and make it publicly available.
Santos’ energy NSW general manager, Peter Mitchley, said “Co-ordinating all water quality and usage data in real time will ensure regional cumulative impacts are
properly understood and assessed.
“The NSW Government’s announcement complements Santos’ existing program, which includes real-time groundwater and surface monitoring across more than 300 monitoring locations across the Namoi Catchment area.”
Water quality and level data from Santos’ NSW activity are available at the Santos Water Portal.
