WATER AND THE COAL SEAM GAS INDUSTRY

Abstract

Access to water is a significant issue in Queensland as much of the State continues to be affected by a prolonged drought. Coal seam gas production involves extracting water from coal seams to reduce the groundwater pressure that keeps the methane trapped in the coal. This process produces large volumes of water. Local councils, primary producers and industrial developers are potential end users of this water; however, if the water is of poor quality, it may be unsuitable for release in the environment and for other direct beneficial uses.

This paper examines the complex legislative and regulatory hurdles that need to be overcome before any mutually beneficial agreement between the coal seam gas producer and end user may be completed. It also examines an operational policy recently released by the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency that proposes a framework for the regulation and management of water extracted from coal seams.