It’s been a big week on the coal seam gas front: the NSW parliamentary inquiry into the industry has come to an end (the public hearings are all over, now the committee must prepare a report for early 2012), a people’s blockade against AGL’s CSG exploration is ongoing in Gloucester, and notably, test results revealed water contamination in a river where Santos (formerly Eastern Star Gas) discharges CSG waste water from their project in the Pilliga forest.
Here is the media release from the environment groups who discovered the case of water contamination (emphasis my own):
Coal seam gas exploration by Santos in the Pilliga Forest near Narrabri is discharging polluted coal seam gas water into the Bohena Creek system which is part of the Murray-Darling Basin, according to independent test results released today by environment groups.
Despite being treated before discharge, the tests show water extracted from the coal seam during mining is responsible for elevated levels of ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, lithium, cyanide, bromide and boron in the Bohena Creek. Ammonia levels were found to be three times drinking water standards.
“These water samples confirm that coal seam gas water, even after treatment, is of such poor quality that it will degrade the rivers and creeks of the Murray-Darling Basin,” said Carmel Flint, spokesperson for Friends of the Earth.
“High levels of ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide pose a major risk to aquatic life, particularly fish” she said.
Prue Bodsworth, spokesperson for The Wilderness Society is concerned by the results. “Coal seam gas mining will worsen river health at a time when we should be doing everything we can to improve it.
“This is another example of the coal seam gas industry running out of control without proper constraints to prevent environmental impacts.This water should not be discharged into pristine environments like the creek systems of the iconic Pilliga Forest” she said.
In its proposed Basin Plan, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority is planning to allow massive increases in groundwater extraction for miningwhilst at the same time providing a major loophole in the form of weak water quality targets which it describes as ‘aspirational’.
Ms Flint said, “Santos are not even required to obtain a licence to pollute before discharging this water into the creek – there are no adequate controls on pollution under NSW laws during exploration for coal seam gas.
“Furthermore, in its present form, the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan will do nothing to protect our creeks and rivers from coal seam gas discharge water and its damaging impacts.
“One has to ask whether the weak ‘aspirational’ water quality targets in the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan were designed to appease this powerful, dangerous mining industry” she said.
The tests were undertaken by an independent environmental consultant on behalf of the Northern Inland Council for the Environment, Friends of the Earth and The Wilderness Society. A sample from the Santos discharge point into Bohena Creek was compared with an upstream sample.
It was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald on December 9 as the first case of water contamination from CSG:
THE state’s first case of water contamination from coal seam gas drilling has been discovered in north-western NSW, according to independent tests.
High levels of ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, lithium, cyanide, bromide and boron were found around a water discharge point near a Santos coal seam gas operation in the Pilliga forest, near Narrabri.
Santos responded quickly, shifting blame to farmers in the area. In a statement on Thursday December 8 they said:
Santos points out that discharged water is tested on a monthly basis and all recent results have met NSW requirements.
Santos is confident it is not in breach of its authority or having any adverse impact on water resources in the area.
The NSW Office of Water Namoi Water Quality Project report 2002 – 2007 shows that the total nitrate levels in the Namoi River are generally above the ANZECC Guidelines. The report notes the water quality in the Namoi River has been impacted largely as a result of the expansion of agriculture in the region, coinciding with detection of high levels of nutrient in the waterways.
But the a spokesperson for one of the environment groups involved in commissioning the water study hit-back saying:
“We are astonished that Santos are apparently trying to shift the blame to farmers for their own polluting activities” said Carmel Flint, spokesperson for Friends of the Earth.
“There is no farming along the Bohena Ck where the water was collected – it is located entirely in the Pilliga State Forest.
“The water was collected directly from the pipe that runs from the Santos water treatment works into the Bohena Ck.”
And later on December 9, the environment groups put out a statement saying that Santos’ own data revealed similar results proving ‘high levels of ammonia’ in water near its Pilliga CSG project:
It has been revealed today that gas company Santos has its own water sample results showing high levels of ammonia in coal seam gas water being discharged into Bohena Ck in the Pilliga Forest.
The water samples were provided recently by its predecessor, Eastern Star Gas, to the Senate Inquiry into Coal Seam Gas in the Murray-Darling Basin (click to download - see pp15-18). [...]
“[Santos'] predecessor Eastern Star Gas recorded levels of ammonia similar to that shown in our results. Their test results from June and July 2011 for the same point at Bohena Ck show levels of 1.7mg/L and 1.3mg/L of ammonia, while our independent sampling results show levels of 1.56mg/L.
“Therefore, Santos’ own data shows that the water it is discharging into the Pilliga Forest is poor quality, with levels of ammonia that are up to three times safe drinking water standards. Santos should have admitted this yesterday and come clean with the community instead of playing games and trying to deflect blame to farmers.
Santos also claimed today to be “confident it is not… having any adverse impact on water resources in the area.”
“Levels of ammonia in the discharged water are fifty two times higher than water upstream – this is definitely an adverse impact,” said Ms Flint.
The environment groups (Friends of the Earth, Northern Inland Council for the Environment and The Wilderness Society) are calling on the state government to prevent any further discharge of water from CSG operations into the creek system in the Pilliga, and enforce pollution control regulation to prevent further adverse impact on water.
Why is this industry so hell bent on blaming anyone but themselves – I bet they wouldn’t let their families or friends play in or near the water within these river systems – why not tell them if they want us to believe them then lets have a “Slam Dunk” machine set up to see if they have any volunteers to sit on the Dunk Machine. I think not.
How much devastation does this industry have to cause before we have them charged with Geneside like the war criminals they are now turning out to be with all this propaganda they are no better than any of the other war criminals
This is a war of epic proportion that the people are and will continue to fight in growing numbers. Time the Government started to take care of its people before profits or they too will be labelled as accessories to these crimes. Would you rather go down in history as a Criminal or Hero? We sure can do with some heroes to stand up and keep our future generations safe and healthy. We can’t drink gas or eat coal or gold or money – so what will you tell your kids and grandkids when they are fighting for survival to find enough clean water to drink and non contaminated food to eat.
Please clarify this statement: “Coal seam gas exploration by Santos in the Pilliga Forest near Narrabri is discharging polluted coal seam gas water into the Bohena Creek system…”
Is the pollution being caused by mere exploration? If this is the case we have extra reason to give urgent attention to stopping CSG mining at the exploration stage. This point needs to clarified ASAP.
Regarding Santos itself and their exemption from “licence to pollute” laws. This is all the more reason to protest against the good graces given to the CSG industry by Governments, to question the motivation for unrelenting promotion of the industry by Government – particularly in Queensland, to perhaps ban Santos advertising as “FALSE” and to boycott events held by Woodford Folk Festival which are sponsored by Santos!
Hi Lynette
The project in the Pilliga, formerly run by Eastern Star Gas, now by Santos, is conducting exploration and pilot production. There is more info on the Pilliga gas operation here: http://www.easternstar.com.au/pel238.html
And the latest on the operation now that Santos have taken over (scroll to bottom of media release): http://www.santos.com/Archive/NewsDetail.aspx?p=121&id=1296
I hope that is helpful.
Thanks Kate.
I guess this means that Eastern Star and possibly not Santos was responsible for the pollution to the creek but in any case pollution occurred during the exploration stage and this is of great concern! I have been talking to a cousin of mine who works in gas extraction in Western Queensland who assures me that he extracts gas without fracking or the addition of polluting chemicals to land and water supplies. I am presently trying to check if he is correct about there being alternatives to fracking in practice in the CSG industry!
Lynette
The need to frack is determined by the geology. If the coal seam is tight, dense and/or fine grained, fracking is needed – as is the case across most of the Bowen basin. In the Surat basin it’s not always required.
For the other unconventional gases ( shale or tight gas), fracking will almost always be done.
It’s not used in natural (or conventional) gas extraction.
thank you for the fantastic job on exposing the facts about the energy corporations and their ability to legally ruin the environment and not bring it back to “it;s natural state prior to exploration” as industry puts it…except that it’s IMPOSSIBLE. PLEASE continue your fight on exposing coal seam bed and please check out fracking shale,,,it’s happening all over the world and MUST be STOPPED. It is contaminating air, water and land and ruining the lives of all in it’s path of destruction. THANK YOU to ALL the people in Australia who have stopped them by climbing the frack derrick !! You are outstanding citizens of the planet…and you all all needed!! Stay vigilant, encourage each other and support other countries. See YouTUBE, enter fracking and Ireland..in 4 minutes 2, 10 year old girls ask the world to stop fracking, please joins us in New York by telling industry NO FRACKING !!
The NSW government should be ashamed of themselves, for letting the CSG exploration go ahead without adequate controls on pollution.
All in the name of money…shame.
Q. ? If it wasn’t for the independent environmental consultant on behalf of the Northern Inland Council for the Environment, Friends of the Earth and The Wilderness Society, how long would it have taken for the NSW government to find this out?
A. When the land and the people are starving and dying.
Wake up Australia.
Develop the clean energies we have. Please Do Not Kill the Water.