Air quality assessment in the Surat Basin
[The CSIRO, Australia Pacific LNG, QGC, Origin, Santos, NSW Government and Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science logos and text appears: GISERA, Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance, www.gisera.csiro.au]
[Music plays and text appears on a green screen: Research Update, Assessing the air quality in the Surat Basin, September 2018]
[Image changes to show Sarah Lawson walking towards the air quality station and then the image changes to show an aerial view of the CSG site and the camera pans over the site]
Sarah Lawson: This project is the most comprehensive assessment of air quality in a coal seam gas region in Australia to date.
[Image changes to show Sarah Lawson talking to the camera and text appears: Sarah Lawson, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO]
The purpose of the study was to compare pollution levels with air quality objectives and to make an overall assessment of air quality in the region.
[Images move through of Sarah looking at data on a screen inside the station, a profile view of Sarah’s face, her hands on the keyboard and Sarah looking at the data on a screen again]
We made continuous measurements of pollutants via five ambient air monitoring sites as well as measurements via ten passive gas sites.
[Image changes to show Sarah standing in a paddock and talking to the camera]
Volatile organic compound levels were generally very low and typical of other rural areas in Australia.
[Image changes to show vehicles and pedestrians moving around in the main streets of Chinchilla and then the image changes to show Sarah talking to the camera with a paddock in the background]
We found the highest levels of benzene, toluene and xylene actually in the Chinchilla township and this was attributed to emissions from vehicle exhaust and from other sources within the town.
[Image changes to show grass waving in the wind and the image sharpens gradually to show the CSG site in the background]
Particle levels were generally well below air quality objectives.
[Images move through of Sarah inside the air quality monitoring station working a touch screen, the touch screen she is working on, and data on various screens]
However, there were a few occasions when the particle levels did exceed the 24-hour average air quality objectives.
[Images move through of Sarah talking, a bushfire scene, a car driving along a dusty road, an aerial view of a car on a dirt track, dust blowing behind a tractor, and an aerial view of the CSG site]
Where this occurred, we found that the sources of the particles were typical of rural areas and generally came from bushfire smoke, wind blown dust, vehicles travelling on unsealed roads, particles from agriculture and CSG development and operational activity.
[Image changes to show Sarah working on the touch screen inside the air quality monitoring station and then the image changes to show Sarah talking to the camera]
The CSIRO Air Quality Modelling Study will be the final output for this project.
[Image changes to show data from the study scrolling through on the screen and then the image changes to show Sarah talking to the camera with a dry paddock in the background]
So, the data from this study can be used by current and future studies such as the Gisera Health Study and the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Study.
[Image changes to show Sarah’s hand operating the touch screen and then the image changes to show a profile view of Sarah looking up at the screen]
The data can also be used by government to inform future policy decisions.
[Image changes to show Sarah talking to the camera with a dry paddock in the background]
For community, this project provides really important information about the sources and types of pollutants in a coal-seam gas region in Australia for the first time.
[Music plays and the CSIRO, Australia Pacific LNG, QGC, Origin, Santos, NSW Government and Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science logos and text appears: GISERA, Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance, www.gisera.csiro.au]
Update on air quality assessment in the Surat Basin – GISERA video