We were at the Angligreen presentation on Coal Seam Gas and our great aquifers (Great Artesian Basin Condamine Alluvium and the river systems) and farmlands. Drew Hutton was there and gave a terrific talk. I think everyone was blown away. I know my mouth was hanging wide open at the sheer magnitude and rampant destructiveness of it all.
Anyway water featured very big particularly but not only groundwater.
While the farmers have very stringent limits on the amount of water they can use (and this was reduced by 60% and they made the adjustments because they understood the necessity to preserve the aquifer) the mining companies are exempt from adherence to these water limits. They are also exempt from the restrictions on land-clearing that the farmers all have to abide by.
The damage to the water is from the vast amounts that are in line to be used (as much as the whole pastoral and farming industry again); and toxic chemicals and salt. Disposal of the water that is pumped up full of salt and toxins is one of the great insoluable problems that is getting brushed under the carpet. Some will go into the rivers after sticking through a membrane to remove some of the salt. Some is likely to be buried. Some into big dams.
Once the coal seams are fracked water under higher pressure can move from one part of the aquifer to others contaminating potentially the most valuable underground water supply in Australia the Great Artesian Basin.
Is this just crazy or is is plain utterly crazy. Big foreign mining companies are set to make billions. Queensland makes millions. It is a finite lifetime industry and Queensland’s water and farmlands and communities are in line of fire.