Water Management Challenges and
Trends Facing the Coal Seam Gas and
Mining Industries in Queensland
Lindsay Delzoppo
General Manager, Operations
Environment and Natural Resource Regulation Division
Queensland Department of Environment and Natural Resource
Management
Israeli Delegation - Water Technologies for the Coal Seam Gas & Mining Industries
Brisbane, 18 May 2011
Outline of Presentation

Current water management issues for Queensland

Coal Seam Gas (CSG)
- protection of groundwater resources - quantity and quality
- desalination and use/disposal of treated CSG water
- management of salts and brines
- protection of soils, vegetation and biodiversity;
- surface waters, world heritage values; noise; air; amenity

Coal Mining
- water supply sources
- flood management
- dewatering of flooded pits and storages
Qld Water Links with Israel Water Expertise

October 2007 – D-G of DERM, John Bradley, was member of a
Trade Delegation to Israel to inspect water technology.

Met Director of the Israel Water Authority, sharing information on:
- recycled water policy
-
hydrologic risk analysis
-
climate change contingencies
-
desalination investment strategies
-
demand management and market reform.
Current Key Water Management Issues

Commission of Inquiry – Jan 2011 Floods.

Environmental Recovery – Reconstruction.

CSG Industry Water and Salt Management

Second generation Water Resource Plans
(allocations) & Environmental Values (water quality)

Urban water security (drought/climate change) and
water costs (water use efficiency)

Coal Mine water management.
Total rainfall 28 Nov 2010 – 17 Jan 2011
Wivenhoe Dam at 197% = 2.26 Million ML
.
Upper reaches of Wivenhoe Dam (<20%) in drought
.
The CSG Industry in Queensland
Queensland Coal and CSG
Production
All named basins have
current exploration
Bowen
Basin
Surat
Basin
The Great Artesian Basin (GAB)
A Typical CSG / LNG Project

Hundreds of CSG wells in Surat or Bowen Basin gas fields

Pumping of large amounts of slightly saline water (releasing
pressure) from the coal seam releases adsorbed methane gas

CSG water RO treatment plants, water re-use and disposal

300-400km gas pipelines from the gas fields to Gladstone

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant on Curtis Island – export terminal
containing LNG production and loading facilities (none built yet)
Coal Seam Gas Fields
.
CSG Fields
.
CSG Water Extraction

Groundwater extraction is an accepted, unavoidable,
consequence of CSG extraction.

2010 – 2,700 wells

2015 – 10,000 wells

2025 – 30,000 wells

CSG extraction could produce 125 - 280 GL /year
Managing Impacts of CSG Extraction

Great Artesian Basin (GAB), groundwater dependent
ecosystems and water supplies to towns and landholders.

Potential for aquifer recharge

Preventing CSG water, brine and salts damaging the
environment, water resources and soils.

Reuse and disposal of treated CSG water

Natural stream flow regimes

Good quality agricultural soils

Impacts on environmentally sensitive/conservation areas.

Cumulative impacts of multiple CSG projects – including
groundwater and surface water impacts.
Key Principles of CSG Water Management - 2009

CSG producers responsible for disposal of CSG water

Evaporation ponds to be discontinued as main means
disposing CSG water

Producers to treat water to a quality set by DERM

CSG Water Management Plans approval stage with
annual reporting against agreed criteria

Adaptive approvals regime.
CSG Water Policy - 2010
Preferred options for use of CSG water:



aquifer injection (if matching quality)
untreated use where no impact
appropriate treatment and re-use for agricultural, industrial,
potable purposes (now highly regulated0
Non-preferred options



disposal via evaporation dams
disposal to surface waters
disposal to land
Groundwater Regulatory Framework - 2011

Unlimited groundwater extraction is allowed under Petroleum
and Gas Act 2004

Make good’ provisions for all water bores, groundwater
dependent ecosystems and adjacent aquifers under the Water
Act 2000

Clearly specified trigger thresholds for bores and springs

QWC role to monitor and model the predictive and cumulative
impacts of CSG activities and produce Underground Water
Impact Reports
Salt Management Hierarchy
1.
Reuse to create useable or saleable salts or products
2.
Inject brine underground when it can be demonstrated that
there will be no adverse impacts.
3.
Dispose to the ocean through pipelines - ensuring no local
impacts.
4.
Dispose of solid salt into a waste disposal facility.

Salinity in Murray Darling Basin is a particular concern.

Possibly 300,000 tonnes of salts per year (sodium bicarbonate,
soda ash, table salt, caustic soda and calcium carbonate)
Coal Mining
Managing supply sources in drought
 Flood water management
 Dewatering of flooded pits, storages
and tailings dams
 Protecting mine water impacts on
aquatic ecosystems and drinking water
supplies

Environmental Regulation of Coal Mining in
Queensland

DERM regulates mines under Environmental Protection
Act 1994

EIS undertaken for larger resource development projects

Coal Mines have Environmental Authorities which set out:

enforceable environmental performance requirements

monitoring programs

reporting requirements
eb 2008
airn Dam
owed flooding
ald
Department of Environment and Resource Management
Ensham Mine Pre-flood
Ensham Mine flood peak
• Ensham Coal Mine most severely affected mine
• 150,000 ML of trapped floodwater
• Authorised discharge to the Nogoa River
• Salinity increased as discharge continued
• Domestic/drinking water supplies affected
• Concerns over aquatic ecosystems impacts
Department of Environment and Resource Management
DERM Reviewed Performance of all
Coal Mines in the Fitzroy Basin
Key Recommendations:
1.
Better, and more consistent environmental conditions needed
for mine water discharges
2.
Develop local water quality guidelines for the Fitzroy Basin
3.
Develop models for assessing cumulative impacts across the
Basin (IQQM).
New Water Conditions for Coal Mines - 2009

Conditions largely based on protecting:
 Aquatic Ecosystems – 1000 EC downstream
 Drinking Water - 750 EC in receiving waters
Minimum 1:4 dilution for mine discharges
Release contaminant trigger investigation levels for metals
Receiving Water Environmental Monitoring Plans

Major flooding of Coal Mines in 2010-11

Monitoring data and conditions being refined in 2011



Queensland Mineral Exploration Expenditure
by Mineral Sought - 2005 to 2010
90
80
WET
70
60
Coal
GFC
Selected
base metals
Copper
40
30
Gold
20
Total other
10
0
Ju
n0
S 5
ep
-0
D 5
ec
-0
M 5
ar
-0
Ju 6
n0
S 6
ep
-0
D 6
ec
-0
M 6
ar
-0
Ju 7
n0
S 7
ep
-0
D 7
ec
-0
M 7
ar
-0
Ju 8
n0
S 8
ep
D 08
ec
-0
M 8
ar
-0
Ju 9
n0
S 9
ep
-0
D 9
ec
-0
M 9
ar
-1
Ju 0
n10
$A Millions
50
Source: ABS (8412.0 - Mineral and Petroleum Exploration, Australia, Jun 2010)
Conclusion

Coal Mining and CSG Sectors in Queensland are large and
growing – involving investments of many billions of dollars

Sound water, wastewater and groundwater management is vital
to the success of these sectors

Sheer scale of mining and CSG activities presents opportunities
for those with expertise in large-scale water and wastewater
management and treatment
Current Queensland Exploration and
Development Activity
600
500
Coal (70 companies)
96
Minerals (258 companies)
400
42
300
200
89
473
315
100
260
19
76
0
Grassroots
Exploration
Advanced
Exploration
Feasibility Study
Source: Intierra – September 2010