Water quality hazards and toxicity under the Murray-Darling Proposed Basin Plan

Barmah-Millewa Campaign 
Friends of the Earth Melbourne

Above: the rivers, birds and fish of the Murray-Darling system are at risk of toxic mining water discharge

Friends of the Earth has again broken a key story highlighting just how dangerous the draft Basin Plan might be. FoE recently discovered through Freedom of Information that NSW secretly lobbied the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to dramatically increase the amount of groundwater extraction so that mining industries could have access to more water. This not only means potential ecological disaster from salty groundwater being discharged into surface rivers but we have now found that even "treated water" discharged during coal seam gas mining exploration has high levels of toxic chemicals.  FoE commissioned scientific testing of water in the Bohena Creek in north-west NSW where company Santos is exploring for Coal Seam Gas. Down stream of the company's water discharge, levels of ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide, lithium, cyanide, bromide and boron were excessively elevated - ammonia levels were found to be three times drinking water standards.  The draft Basin Plan has also recommended a change in water quality targets  - saying they now only need to be "aspirational" - so as mining companies get a big boost in water access, the toxic water they discharge only has to meet "aspirational" targets under the Basin Plan. Over 3 million people in rural communities and much of Adelaide rely on Murray-Darling basin water for drinking and farming - and the draft Basin Plan puts them all at risk. Fears CSG treated water could threaten Murray-Darling: ABC online  "The major concern was the ammonia. It was at three times drinking water standards. And it can have a major impact on aquatic life, particularly fish. It makes it very, it has major impacts on fish health."CSG polluting Murray Darling: Nine News "In its present form, the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan will do nothing to protect our creeks and rivers from coal seam gas discharge water and its damaging impacts. One has to ask whether the weak 'aspirational' water quality targets in the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan were designed to appease this powerful, dangerous mining industry," she said in a statement.

Call for an independent scientific panel to assess draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan

Umpire needed to help shape Basin Plan

Date: 17-Nov-2011

The Australian Conservation Foundation has called on Environment and Water Minister Tony Burke to set up an independent scientific panel to assess the draft Murray-Darling Basin Plan and advise Parliament on what’s required to deliver enough water and greater security to the Basin.

ACF today released suggested terms of reference to help guide such an independent scientific panel.

 

“The new plan must deliver enough water to flush salt from the system, keep the Murray Mouth open without dredging and provide greater certainty for communities in South Australia and throughout the Basin,” said ACF’s healthy rivers campaigner Dr Arlene Harriss-Buchan.

 

“We are concerned the Authority has failed to address the basic question – what does the river need to make it healthy and how can this be achieved over the next ten years?

 

“If the Basin Plan recommends only 2,800 gigalitres of water be returned to the environment over the next ten years it will fail to protect the Murray-Darling Basin’s lifeblood – its rivers.

 

“Minister Burke can close the Basin Plan’s scientific credibility gap by setting up an independent panel and giving it terms of reference that will help determine exactly what is needed for a healthy river system.

 

“The benchmark for a good plan is a river that is not being poisoned by too much salt, that flows, that is able to function.”

 

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority has commissioned a review of the draft Basin Plan, but ACF is concerned there are gaps and omissions in its terms of reference.

 

“We urge the Minister to establish an independent panel that will ensure the Basin Plan is scientifically credible and will actually do the job of protecting our rivers – the lifeblood of rural and regional Australia.”