The framework is based on drilling new bores in CSG hotspots of the Gunnedah, Gloucester and Clarence Moreton basins and then using advanced computer modelling on the extra data.
NSW Natural Resources, Lands and Water Minister Kevin Humphries said it was the first time in Australia that state-of-the-art computer modelling would be used in conjunction with groundwater baseline data to map and protect underground water resources.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, phase one of the campaign will include drilling 10 bores at five sites for $A3.1 million while the next phase will drill 12 holes at six sites for $4.3 million.
Water consultant Philip Pells said there was an important need to model the probable impacts of CSG and longwall projects “rather than existing baselines”.
“Water is the lifeblood of communities across the State and that is why the NSW government is gathering the facts we need to make informed decisions that ensure our water resources are protected,” Humphries said.
“Starting first in the Gunnedah, Gloucester and Clarence Moreton basins, we will use start-of-the-art technology to map underground water and provide baseline water profiles.
“Experts will study groundwater availability in these basins, and carefully analyse where industries such as agriculture and mining draw their water from and the volume allocated within the different systems.
“Once complete, this mapping will provide real-time data from bores across these basins that will be used as ‘early warning’ system to quickly identify threats to water resources, tackle the causes, and prevent future problems.”
He said the new monitoring bores would be installed across the key basins of the state and real-time data from them will be published in the NSW Office of Water website.
Lock the Gate Alliance, which opposed CSG and coal mining projects, has welcomed the “long time coming” plan to boost water monitoring in the state.
“To complement the monitoring and mapping announced today, drinking water catchments and important groundwater sources need clear exclusion zones for coal seam gas and for coal mining,” it said yesterday.
The NSW government’s ongoing freeze on processing new applications for CSG exploration blocks lasts until September 26.
