Since coal seam gas (CSG) development began in the Surat Basin landholders have voiced concern that this development would adversely impact their groundwater resources. Despite the fact that the Queensland Government established a framework to monitor and manage likely impacts and legislation to protect the landholder’s interests, members of the community were not comforted.
Groundwater Net is a grassroots groundwater monitoring program involving community education and engagement designed to address some of these landholder concerns. Landholders are engaged in groups by geographical area, provided with information on local hydrogeology, the CSG industry and existing monitoring data. Landholders were supported and encouraged in monitoring their own bores and provided with a mechanism with which to submit monitoring data directly to the department’s groundwater database.
Groundwater Online was a complementary program involving the installation of continuous monitoring loggers and telemetry on 60 strategically sited bores (some on private landholder bores). The community can freely access this data ‘live and online’ through the Queensland Globe or the department’s Water Monitoring Information Portal.
Results from both Groundwater Net (landholder monitoring) and Groundwater Online (continuous loggers) is used to independently cross-reference and verify groundwater monitoring results from the CSG companies.
Annual workshops provide a forum in which to share and discuss monitoring results and other relevant groundwater topics. Participants have expressed confidence in the monitoring data and acknowledged greater understanding of groundwater systems as a result of this program. In response to feedback, amendments have been made, additional information provided, resources developed and adaptions made to the way data is publically displayed. As knowledge and understanding has increased, so too has the maturity and complexity of the questions that are being asked. An additional by-product of the entire program is the noticeable improvement in the relationships between government staff, landholders and CSG company groundwater staff.