ABC Online
1 Feb 2011

A survey of the Hunter’s waterways has revealed the health of some is so poor they could be at risk of dying completely.

The Catchment Management Authority’s recent Waterwatch Survey recorded high phosphorus levels at two-thirds of the 200 rivers and creeks that were monitored in the Upper and Lower Hunter.

At some sites the readings were so high, there is concern the waterways could be strangled by aquatic weed infestations or seriously affected by algal blooms.

Waterwatch Co-ordinator, Amanda Gregory says people need to be careful they do not make the problem worse.

“I guess the whole community is exacerbating the problem,” she said.

“There’s even small actions that people take like not picking up their dog poo, actually affects the amount of phosphorus in the water.

“There’s also illegal discharge and stormwater pollution as well as farming that can be causing the problem.”

Ms Gregory says the current warm weather could trigger problems for the waterways.

“With the warmer weather and high nutrient levels, that’s a perfect environment for algal blooms and aquatic weed blooms which basically can strangle waterways and then cause the oxygen levels to decrease as they die.

“So basically you end up with dead waterways.”

Sydney Morning Herald
Jan 20, 2011

THE state opposition has allowed the mining industry to rewrite parts of its regional land use policy, deleting commitments to toughen regulatory compliance on miners, leaked documents reveal.

The Liberals and Nationals also handed their draft policy to the NSW Farmers Association to amend – but only after changes made by the NSW Minerals Council were included in the document.

Two draft versions of the land use policy passed to the Herald show the minerals council insisted certain anti-mining lines be removed.

A draft Coalition commitment to ”improve monitoring and compliance” for any mining project on agricultural land was twice deleted from the ”strategic regional land use planning policy” document. The line does not appear in a later policy document given to the farmers association for comment.

The manipulation of election policy by miners is bound to call into question Barry O’Farrell’s recent conversion to conservation and the environment. Less than a fortnight ago the Opposition Leader said he would create a new national park south of Sydney if he wins office in March.

It will also stir bad blood between miners and farmers in resource-rich areas of NSW where landowners, particularly in areas like the Liverpool Plains, are concerned about the rapid growth of coal and coal seam gas projects and exploration.

Mistrust between farmers and miners has even descended into industry whispers about why the opposition industry spokesman, Duncan Gay, snubbed the farmers association’s Christmas drinks last month but attended the minerals council’s soiree.

The documents show the miners are desperate to play down tensions, asking for the removal of a reference to growth in the industry as increasing ”land use conflict”. The council changed that to ”seeing expansion of these industries on to high value agriculture land”.

The council also asked for any reference to ”water resources” and the potential impacts of mining on them to be removed, preferring the term ”precious environmental assets”.

Miners have had to defend coal seam gas extraction, which can damage water tables particularly when the so-called ”fracking” or rock fracturing technique is used.

The document reveals plans by the Coalition to establish an office of agricultural sustainability and food security, reporting directly to the premier. Farmers have been calling for the office and a halt to all mining projects until detailed assessment of land use is conducted by a new government.

The minerals council is against the idea, noting that it hadn’t been ”fully thought through, including how the office will be funded, role and function of the office etc”.

The Coalition, if it won office, would announce a ”transitional period” in which tougher assessment criteria would be applied to mining projects on agricultural land, including a ”pause” on granting new mining titles. About 70 per cent of NSW is now under mineral and petroleum title or application.

The council advises against any pause, saying it should be ”made more transparent and the community will be given a say”.

The Coalition would also move to introduce aquifer interference regulation in a bid to protect agricultural water supplies.

A senior government source said it was ”extraordinary” to allow pressure groups to actively rewrite election policies. ”I’ve never heard of this before,” the source said.

Mr Gay said it was not unusual to ”consult widely” on policies. ”Our final policy will show that we are not beholden to either miners or farmers,” he said.

A spokesman for the minerals council chief executive, Nicole Williams, said miners had been working ”side-by-side” with farmers on the policy. ”Both bodies have provided comments and feedback on innumerable versions of this draft policy,” he said.

The farmers association president, Charles Armstrong, said he was confident that the final Coalition policy would reflect farmers’ concerns.

“The NSW Farmers Association is still negotiating matters relating to mining policies with the NSW opposition,” he said.

”We are confident our policies will be reflected in their policy document.”

Queensland Country Life
8 Jan 2011

FEDERAL and State water experts are backing calls by landholders for an urgent study of the potential impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) development on the nation’s water resources.

The focus is largely on the potential $35 billion industry in south-east Queensland, where up to 40,000 wells could dot the Surat and Bowen Basins over the next 20 years – and where there have already been water contamination incidents.

Last month, Arrow Energy confirmed benzene, toluene, ethylene and xylene – together known as BTEX – had been found in wells at a Bowen Basin gas site.

In October, BTEX was discovered in eight wells at drill sites run by Origin Energy about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane, while earlier this year a coal gas project near Kingaroy was shut down when benzene and toluene were detected.

While 95 per cent of known reserves are in Queensland, increasing exploration in NSW by companies, including Santos and Metgasco, is expected to uncover more reserves.

Companies are testing for CSG using hydraulic fracturing, known as “fracking”.

Rules regulating this practice, which involves injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals underground to force gas to the surface, are not clear cut, as specific approval for fracking is not required.

NSW Natural Resources Commissioner, John Williams, has warned there could be potentially catastrophic impacts on State water resources if CSG projects go ahead unchecked.

He supported a call by National Water Commissioner, Chloe Munroe, for a precautionary approach.

The National Water Commission released a position paper earlier this month identifying a variety of risks, saying cumulative impacts were not well understood, and that there could be “substantial consequences”.

“If not adequately managed and regulated, the industry risks significant, long-term and adverse impacts on surface and ground-water systems,” Ms Munroe said.

She said mining should operate under the same rules applied to other water users.

Dr Williams said it was vital that mining and natural resources were integrated before mining activity occurred.

“We need a plan of action to minimise harm to water resources if coal seam gas extraction takes place,” he said.

“We do need to mine, but we need to know where we can do it without harming natural resources, and the best time to do this work is before the development happens so the community knows where it can be harvested without damaging their future and the mining industry has some security.”

He said legislation, including the Mining Act, needed to be brought into line with sustainable development principles.

Dr Williams, a member of the Wentworth Group, said taking CSG should not interfere with the viability of water resources and agricultural land, but there was no process yet to prevent this.

Ms Munroe’s report said extracting large volumes of low-quality water would have an impact on connected surface and groundwater systems.

Dramatic depressurisation of coal seams could reduce pressure to nearby aquifers, reducing flows and causing land subsidence.

A report by JP Morgan said the coal gas seam industry had significant water risks, including a reduction in the water supply to towns and landowners, reduced quality, gas migration to water bores and the safe storage of salt.

BY MATTHEW KELLY ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

THE federal government has approved the controversial expansion of the Duralie open-cut mine.This is despite protests about its potential environmental impact on the Gloucester Valley.

The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities approved the project with conditions on December 22.

The mine’s production will now rise from 12.3 million tonnes to 20 million tonnes, with maximum annual output rising from 1.8 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes.

The project, which has already been approved by the state government, was referred for assessment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation in May.

Environmentalists raised concerns about the potential for increased saline run-off from the mine on the giant barred frog, which is found around the Mammy Johnsons River.

Concerns were also raised about the project’s impact on the habitat of the swift parrot.

Conditions of the approval state that the drilling activities associated with the expansion must not occur within areas of known or potential giant barred frog habitat.

The mine must also conduct baseline frog surveys prior to conducting irrigation activities.

Within a year of the project, the mine must permanently protect and secure an environmental offset area to compensate for disturbance to the habitat of the frog and parrot.