Plans to dump up to 15m tonnes of salt and other waste near a creek in drought-stricken Queensland carry a “considerable” risk of water contamination, a new study has found.
Approved plans to expand a dump near the town of Chinchilla allow salt waste from coal seam gas operations to be stored fewer than 100 metres from Stockyard Creek, in the headwaters of the Murray-Darling Basin.
How can you force a company to manage beyond the lifespan of the people who run the company?
Stuart Khan, an environmental engineering professor at the University of New South Wales, has completed a study for the NSW Environmental Defender’s Office that concludes there is considerable risk of water contamination.
The responsibility for managing these risks over the long term will likely be inherited by future generations.” Khan told Guardian Australia salt “does not biodegrade in the environment and has an infinite environmental residence time”.
He said the stockpile in close proximity to Stockyard Creek would “need a management plan that runs for centuries”.
“How can you force a company to manage beyond the lifespan of the people who run the company?” he said.
Queensland cotton farmer charged with $20m Murray-Darling plan fraud Read more The company that runs the dump, We Kando, has not yet sought an assessment under the EPBC act.
Guardian Australia understands the federal Department of Environment and Energy has recently written to the company “to ensure they were aware of their obligations”.
The Lock the Gate Alliance argues the plan meets the “water trigger” that requires assessment of mining or coal seam gas developments, including associated waste management, likely to have a significant impact on a water resource.