Landholders in the Chinchilla region were invited to attend a field day on 23 June 2015 to discuss regional coal seam gas (CSG) activities and predictions for groundwater impacts. The field day was a great success, focusing on regional hydrogeology, the Make Good (MG) process and provided landholders with an overview of how groundwater investigations work.
Presentations
Presentations
David Free, Chief Hydrogeologist, Groundwater Investigation and Assessment, CSG Compliance Unit - CSG Groundwater Field Day Presentation
Daniel Phipps, CSG Project Officer - CSG Groundwater Field Day Presentation
Justin Carpenter, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection - Underground
Water Management Framework Presentation
Useful Information
AgForce Projects:
The AgForce Projects CSG Team can provide assistance to landholders through all stages of CSG or resource activity including negotiating land access agreements through to the MG process, groundwater concerns or complaints. See below for important information to help you as a landholder:
Landholders should contact the GIAT staff for any complaints or concerns regarding their bore and any possible impacts from CSG. Landholders can also contact staff for assistance interpreting baseline or bore assessment reports.
UQ is conducting a research project to better estimate the amount of water extracted by groundwater bores in and around the CMA.
The study is being undertaken to independently improve the accuracy of groundwater models used by government and the CSG industry to predict the impact of CSG activities on groundwater users
Interested landholders can participate by:
Handouts
Justin Carpenter, Department of Environment and Heritage Protection - Underground
Water Management Framework Presentation
Useful Information
AgForce Projects:
The AgForce Projects CSG Team can provide assistance to landholders through all stages of CSG or resource activity including negotiating land access agreements through to the MG process, groundwater concerns or complaints. See below for important information to help you as a landholder:
- In the Surat Basin and areas covered under the Surat Basin Cumulative Management Area (CMA) landholders have rights to a MG agreement where a bore is either predicted to experience an impact under the Surat Basin Underground Water Impact Report (UWIR) or where a bore investigation confirms the bore is being impacted as a result of CSG activities.
- Outside the Surat Basin CMA landholders have the same rights to a MG agreement and any CSG production areas must have an approved UWIR for the project, a full list of approved UWIRs can be found here.
- Landholders are entitled to have their necessary and reasonable legal, accounting and valuation costs reimbursed by the CSG company as part of the MG process.
- The Surat UWIR takes groundwater data from many sources and develops a model to show the cumulative impact on aquifers and registered bores (groundwater users) as a result of CSG activities.
- The model identifies bores that are likely to experience an impact within three years of the model as well as bores that are likely to experience an impact past three years and into the future.
- The CSG Globe can show landholders the extent of the short and long term affected areas as well as identifying individual registered bores that are predicted to experience an impact.
- Landholders should review the CSG Globe and their circumstances prior to carrying out baseline assessments on their bore if they are not actively negotiating with a company and consider the potential risk they are exposed to, e.g. multiple CSG wells on a neighbouring property vs 50kms to the nearest development.
- AgForce Projects has developed a baseline assessment checklist that landholders can use with their experienced advisor as a template or suggestions. The Queensland Government has also developed a baseline assessment guide.
Landholders should contact the GIAT staff for any complaints or concerns regarding their bore and any possible impacts from CSG. Landholders can also contact staff for assistance interpreting baseline or bore assessment reports.
- GIAT may carry out field investigations as part of a bore complaint investigation while liaising with Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP), Office of Underground Water Impact Assessment (OGIA), responsible CSG company and landholder as part of this process.
- CSG Net is a landholder bore monitoring program giving landholders the knowledge and tools to monitor their bore and provide data to GIAT to fill in the gaps across the Surat Basin of bore monitoring.
- AgForce strongly encourages landholders to participant in CSG Net and also to utilise the services and support that the CSG compliance unit and GIAT can offer.
- CSGCU can provide advice and assistance to landholders at all stages of the CSG industry including the MG process.
- Landholders should contact the CSGCU with any groundwater complaints or concerns and request that a review being undertaken.
- Staff can also assist in the development of MG agreements by working with landholders and companies to reach a suitable agreement.
- Contact the CSGCU on email or call (07) 4529 1500.
- DEHP is responsible for the administration of Chapter 3 of the Water Act (2000) which houses the MG process and obligations on both landholders and CSG companies.
- DEHP coordinate with the CSGCU, OGIA and CSG companies when reviewing bore complaints to determine if the bore is experiencing an impact and who is responsible.
- The Department has developed a guideline explaining the Make Good process and what are possible MG measures (steps taken to resolve the loss of supply) that landholders should refer to.
- MG only refers to groundwater supply issues and does generally not cover quality issues, such as infiltration of salts or other contaminates, rather these are issues that are dealt with under the Environmental Protection Act (1994).
UQ is conducting a research project to better estimate the amount of water extracted by groundwater bores in and around the CMA.
The study is being undertaken to independently improve the accuracy of groundwater models used by government and the CSG industry to predict the impact of CSG activities on groundwater users
Interested landholders can participate by:
- Completing a groundwater use survey (online, paper form, or by telephone interview)
- Volunteering to have temporary, non-invasive flow meters installed on their bores.
Handouts
The CSG Project is delivered by AgForce Projects with the support of the Queensland Government, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, Queensland Resources Council and the GasFields Commission Queensland.