Why coal seam gas and intensive farming are incompatible
11th of Jul, 2010
A fact sheet compiled by three expert agronomists from Dalby in Queensland's Darling Downs warns of how coal seam gas extraction will deplete underground irrigation water supplies, contaminate agricultural land, destroy long term food production and town water supplies. Their review sets out clearly the incompatibility of Coal Seam Gas and intensive farming.
The agronomists argue persuasively that the invaluable broadacre farming lands in the Darling Downs should be protected from the proposed coal seam gas wells.
Currently, more than 1000 wells are proposed for the area.
They suggest that such protection should be in place until research and experience can confirm that it is possible to extract gas without impacting on the shallow freshwater aquifers that supply irrigated agriculture and towns with water. If that cannot be proven, then the protections must be permanent.
This is because of:
Economic Importance - The agricultural sector is the mainstay of this rural area and during the recent financial and mining downturn, it was the only sector to increase productivity and retain jobs. Flow on effects employment as 1 on farm job provides 6 jobs in the respective service industry.
Only Secure Water - The Condamine Alluvial Aquifer (CAA) is the secure portion of the water supply for many towns in the Condamine Catchment. For Western Downs Regional Council, 18 out of 22 towns are dependant on underground water. Groundwater is the only reliable water source for irrigators. It is the backbone of irrigated agricultural production.
Loss Of Strategic Cropping Land - Irrigated and dryland farm production will be decreased by coal seam gas operations through the direct loss of land to gas wells pads, salt water dams, roads, and pipelines.
Lost Productivity - This is the most productive broadacre food and fibre area in Queensland. Any depletion of the CAA means less irrigated cropping and more dryland cropping, which produces less than half the economic return to farmers and the region.
Salt, No Solution - There is presently no solution to dealing with the millions of tonnes of salt that will be brought to surface.
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