Examining sources and mobility of gas in formations below the Walloon Coal Measures, Qld

Approximately 80% of current coal seam gas (CSG) production in Queensland is derived from coals of the Walloon Coal Measures, deposited within the Surat Basin, and this accounts for the majority of CSG produced in Australia. Communities in the Surat Basin have concerns that, due to the extraction of CSG, increasing amounts of gas may be entering water supply bores that extract water from aquifer formations below the Walloon Coal Measures.

There is already a significant body of research focused on groundwater aquifers within the Surat Basin and the potential impacts of CSG development on groundwater resources. In response to the community concerns, CSIRO researchers will collate existing data on the prevalence of gas in water monitoring and water supply bores (including stock, agricultural and town supplies) to determine the current state of the system.

A range of modelling activities will then allow the research team to determine if and how CSG activities and other non-CSG water extraction are impacting groundwater systems and potentially causing mobilisation of gas. The outcomes of the project will allow a framework to be established for future monitoring to validate whether the presence of gas in groundwater bores is increasing, what the source of any such gas is, and whether CSG activities are a contributing factor.

More information about this project is available on the GISERA website.