Coal seam gas - a case study - Pilliga Forest, Australia

The risks and impact of coal seam gas mining can be amply demonstrated by looking at the example of the Pilliga Forest in NSW where this form of mining has been in operation for the past ten years.  On the site there have been a series of damaging incidents:

• Major spillage of saline water leading to extensive tree deaths in the forest,
• Clearing of vegetation without Federal environmental approval,
• Over-flow of contaminated drill ponds into surrounding areas during rain,
• Repeated failures to line drill ponds leading to major salt scalds on surrounding soils,
• Leaking gas pipes and water drains leading to methane escape,
• Poor handling of chemicals leading to spillage during a flood event.

And what is the significance of the Pilliga Forest ? The Pilliga sandstone is an important recharge area for the Greaty Artesian Basin, crucial to the quality and volume of water on which most of inland Australia relies.  In terms of hydrology, the surface water of the Pilliga form part of the Murray-Darling Basin, running north into the Namoi River and thence into the Barwon-Darling system. In addition the Forest is a key National Biodiversity hotspot with 24 nationally listed threatened or endangered species, an internationally recognised important bird area and the largest temperate woodland in Australia.The mining exploration phase also led to considerable environmental damage and degradation to this critical environmental region. It is for good reason that there has been continuing campaigning on this issue.