Irrigators confident of accessing water from gas reserves ...

From ABC News:

24 April 2006

Irrigators confident of accessing water from gas reserves

Southern Queensland irrigators are confident they will be next in line to access vast amounts of water from underground coal seam gas reserves.

The Federal Government has announced a $10 million project to allow the Dalby Town Council to use 1,000 megalitres of water extracted along with natural gas by Arrow Energy.

Cotton grower Paul McVeigh says irrigators are making an application to the National Water Commission so they access the water.

"The challenges I suppose this is new water, it's water that's never been available before and I think the exciting side of it is that at this stage you know water is probably the biggest issue in the whole Australian community and here we are sitting on a great asset," he said.

"For the mining industry their focus is on delivering gas and energy and our focus is using their waste product and turning it into an asset."

See - Gas water offers regional solution.