Abstract
Production of coal seam gas (CSG), or coal bed methane, requires large-scale depressurisation of a target formation by extracting groundwater, which, in turn, has the potential to affect overlying and underlying aquifers. This leads to wide-ranging stakeholder concerns around the impacts on groundwater assets such as water supply bores, groundwater-dependent ecosystems and connected watercourses. Around 2010, the CSG industry in Queensland, Australia grew rapidly with the expansion of operations in the Surat and Bowen basins by multiple operators. This particularly raised concerns about the cumulative effects, because the target coal seams are part of the Great Artesian Basin – one of the world’s largest aquifers. To respond to this challenge, an innovative framework was developed to provide for an independent cumulative impact assessment and to set up arrangements for managing those impacts. This chapter describes the main thrust of that framework.
Highlights
In the Surat Basin of Queensland, Australia, production of coal seam gas (CSG), or coal bed methane as it is known in the Americas, requires extraction of groundwater to depressurise the Walloon Coal Measures
By 2009 to 2011, an unprecedented scale of CSG development was proposed in environmental impact statements (EIS) by four major proponents – Santos Limited, Australia Pacific LNG Pty Limited., QGC Pty Limited and Arrow Energy Pty Ltd – whereby a maximum of about 34,000 CSG wells were proposed in an area of about 37,000 km2 [2]
The primary groundwater management concern was the management of the impacts of CSG water extraction on groundwater supplies and groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDE), there were other concerns about non-pressure-related impacts on groundwater resources, such as: the potential for groundwater pollution from drilling activity; the beneficial use of the formation water extracted during development; and social impacts associated with the large workforce operating in the area [13]
Summary
In the Surat Basin of Queensland, Australia, production of coal seam gas (CSG), or coal bed methane as it is known in the Americas, requires extraction of groundwater to depressurise the Walloon Coal Measures (the target formation). The target formation for CSG production in the Surat Basin is part of the Great Artesian basin (GAB) – one of the largest groundwater systems in the world This geology raised issues surrounding impacts of this development on groundwater assets such as water supply bores, groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDE) and connected watercourses. The framework is a good example of proactive and adaptive groundwater management covering a cycle – from identifying issues to assessment and modelling, reporting, implementation and monitoring
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