Anna Bligh's new rules for coal seam gas water ...

Excerpt from Blueprint for Queensland's LNG Industry:

September 2009

Managing produced water

Coal seam gas (CSG) is primarily methane, which is absorbed and maintained in the coal seam. To produce CSG, the water contained in the coal seam must be removed to create a pressure void into which the gas migrates. As a result, a significant amount of saline water is produced. The quantity and quality of CSG water can vary considerably between wells and regions.

In 2007–08, approximately 13.5 gigalitres (GL) of CSG water was produced in Queensland.

It is estimated that production of gas for domestic consumption in the Surat Basin will produce an annual average of 25 GL of CSG water for the next 25 years. With the potential growth of the CSG/LNG industry, it is possible that the CSG water production may be in the order of:

• 126 GL/year for a 10 Mtpa industry

• 196 GL/year for a 28 Mtpa industry

• 281 GL/year for a 40 Mtpa industry.
  

In addition to CSG water containing concentrations of salts, it may also contain other contaminants that have the potential to cause environmental harm if released to land or water through inappropriate management. There are also ecological risks associated with the disposal of CSG water and, without proper treatment, the use for CSG water is limited.

To address the potential risks of CSG water the government has decided that:

• CSG producers are responsible for the treatment and disposal of the CSG water they create.

• CSG producers must treat CSG water to a standard defined by the Department of Environment and Resource Management before disposal or supply to other users.

• Evaporation ponds are to be discontinued as the primary means of disposal and transitional arrangements are to be developed in consultation with industry.

• Remediation action for existing ponds is to occur within three years.

• Ponds, necessary for aggregation or brine storage, are to be lined to a standard defined by the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

• At the approval stage, CSG producers will need to advise how they intend to manage water on their operations through the preparation of a CSG Water Management Plan.

• Water which is in excess to that which can be directly injected or beneficially used is to be aggregated for disposal.

See - Blueprint for Queensland's LNG Industry - Page 4.