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Santos Fairfield CSG Water Release

About the Project

Santos TOGA Pty Ltd (Santos) proposed to discharge up to 18 million litres of desalinated wastewater and an unspecified quantity of untreated wastewater into the water system that connected to the Wardingarri or Dawson River.

The proposal had the potential to impact water resources and critical habitat of the critically endangered White-Throated Snapping Turtle and the vulnerable Fitzroy River Turtle.

 

Our Work

Stage 1

May 2021 – We made a submission to the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment that addressed impacts to water resources. The submission addressed these key issues:

  • lack of information on the quality and volume of untreated water proposed to be released into the river system;
  • lack of baseline information regarding physico-chemical parameters and contaminants in surface water and groundwater;
  • lack of contextual information regarding baseline aquatic ecology monitoring such as dates, locations of measurements, sampling protocols, flow conditions and elevation points;
  • lack of assessment of impacts to indigenous cultural and heritage values;
  • lack of recent survey information for koalas in the vicinity of the project area;
  • inadequate risk assessment of alternative options for the disposal of wastewater.

 

Results

June 2021 – The Department suspended the timeframe in which it must make a decision on the referral to 7 July 2021.

July 2021 – The Department found that the project was likely to have a significant impact on water resources and threatened species. The federal government referred the project to the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development.

 

Stage 2

March 2023 – The final environmental report for this project was published for public comment. We made a submission that addressed the following scientific issues:

  • likely significant impacts to the hydrology and water quality of the Waterhole and Dawson River;
  • scientific uncertainty and potential for serious and irreversible damage to the White throated Snapping Turtle and water resources;
  • adaptive management was not a reasonable or appropriate precautionary measure because it could not reduce the threat of serious or irreversible environmental harm to acceptable levels.

 

Results

Santos withdrew the component of is project involving release of untreated wastewater into the river system. The remaining portion of the project was approved in 2023.

 

Grassroots Movement

At each stage of the consultation process, grassroots community groups such as the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland Upper Dawson played a key role in organising a response to Santos’ proposal. This included an important submission by Lock the Gate Alliance, which addressed impacts to water resources and threatened species.