Managing CSG Groundwater Impacts Randall Cox Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment AgForce CSG Water Field Day – Roma / Miles 9-10 October 2013

Topics The Great Artesian Basin The Regulatory Framework The Surat Underground Water Impact Report Current research

The Great Artesian Basin

Surat UWIR

Main Geological Basins A B B A 16

Walloon Connection to Condamine - UWIR A B A B Thickness of the weathered zone under the Condamine Alluvium Cross-section across the Condamine Alluvium

There is an area near the production fields where the Precipice Sandstone is in direct contact with the Bandanna Formation Bandanna Connection to Precipice Sandstone A B B A 36

The Regulatory Framework

Queensland Legislation Petroleum and Gas (Safety and Production) Act 2004 –Right to take water in the production of petroleum & gas –Management of groundwater impacts of P&G activities is through other legislation Environmental Protection Act 1993 –‘Environmental Authority’ for P&G activities Water Act 2000 –Requirement to collect baseline data –Requirement to ‘make good’ impairment of bore supplies –For low intensity areas, tenure holder assessment and monitoring –For high intensity areas, cumulative management regime

Qld Water Act – Cumulative Management An area with multiple operators can be declared a ‘cumulative management area’ (CMA) OGIA carries out cumulative assessment and prepares an ‘underground water impact report’ (UWIR) containing: –Predictions of impacts –Regional water monitoring strategy –Regional spring impact management strategy –Assignment of responsibilities to individual tenure holders –Research directions to build new knowledge Surat CMA established 2011 Surat UWIR approved December 2012 Surat UWIR will be updated to incorporate new knowledge December 2015

Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) Formed 1 January 2013 by amendments to Water Act 2000, to take over the groundwater management functions of Queensland Water Commission. Primary Function: –Produce ‘underground water impact reports’ (UWIR) for ‘cumulative management areas’ –Build new knowledge through research –Update the UWIR every 3 years An independent entity within DNRM Funded through an industry levy

Surat Underground Water Impact Report

Current and Planned Production Tenures 8

Tenure Holders 10

Non-P&G water bores 41

Conventional Petroleum and Gas (GAB) Coal Seam Gas (Bowen Basin) Coal Seam Gas (Surat Basin) Water Production by P&G Activities Jan-11 43

Immediately Affected Areas

Long-term Affected Areas

Research

Condamine Connectivity Walloon Connectivity Springs Studies Structural control of flow Geological Modelling Hydrogeological Re-conceptualisation Modelling Methodology New Regional Groundwater Flow Model Now to mid 2014 Mid 2014 to late 2015 OGIA’s Research Program Update Underground Water Impact Report

Thank you