A new Queensland Government groundwater report has identified several Great Artesian Basin-fed springs as at risk from coal seam gas extraction for the first time.
QLD’s Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) released the 2025 Underground Water Impact Report (UWIR) late last week.
It noted the roughly 11,000 operating coal seam gas wells across the Surat and Bowen Basins were continuing to deplete groundwater bores relied on for farming and aquifers that feed ecologically and culturally significant springs. The report predicts a total of 650 water bores are likely to be impacted in the long term as drilling intensifies.
While the negative impacts of coal seam gas extraction have been predicted since the industry began expanding in the mid 2000s, OGIA has added new springs to its at-risk list in its latest report.
This includes the “Boggomoss” complex near Taroom, which is fed by the Great Artesian Basin aquifer, the “Precipice Sandstone” (Page 192). The report states this aquifer is “leaking” on its western edge due to coal seam gas extraction (Page 110).
Photos of the Boggomoss wetland are available here.
Two spring complexes within the Carnarvon Gorge group – both attributed to basalt source aquifers – were also identified as being at risk for the first time.
The report comes after the Crisafulli Government earlier this year released 16,000 sq kilometres of new areas to destructive coal seam gas drilling.
Other important findings include:
-
Farming communities west of Chinchilla and around Cecil Plains are likely to experience coal seam gas induced subsidence (i.e. sinking of farmland) greater than 20 centimetres.
-
The critically important Condamine Alluvium, which sustains cropping in the Cecil Plains foodbowl, is predicted to suffer losses peaking above 1.75 gigalitres in the coming years, and take decades to recover.
-
The number of active coal seam gas wells is expected to nearly double to 21,000 between now and 2060.
Lock the Gate Alliance National Coordinator Ellen Roberts said, “This report confirms our worst fears: coal seam gas is draining some of our most precious Great Artesian Basin springs in western Qld, including the unique “Boggomoss” mound springs near Taroom.
“Farmers have done a lot of work capping bores over the last two decades to try to prevent further decline in the Great Artesian Basin - it's appalling that all that work can be undone by an invasive export industry.
“Origin Energy through its joint venture APLNG is progressing plans to drill more than four thousand new coal seam gas wells across thousands of hectares of Central Queensland farmland and forest and we fear this project will also affect precious Great Artesian Basin springs.
“The vast majority of coal seam gas extracted in Queensland is for export, leaving Queenslanders bearing the brunt of impacts on water resources and climate, with none of the benefits.
“Lock the Gate Alliance is calling for a national interest test to be applied to all LNG export contracts and for export controls to be imposed for the good of Queensland’s precious groundwater and the east coast’s manufacturing sector.”
ENDS