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http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/19/2957229.htm



Plant shut down continues amid carcinogenic water scare
Posted 33 minutes ago


The Government says the Cougar Energy took too long to report the test results at its Kingaroy plant. (Damien O'Sullivan)

Video: Underground gas feared to contaminate water (7pm TV News NSW) Map: Kingaroy 4610 Related Story: Bureaucrat stood down over carcinogenic water Related Story: Gas trials shut down over chemical concerns Cougar Energy is supplying another water source to landholders near its coal gasification site at Kingaroy in Queensland's South Burnett region involved in a dangerous chemical scare.

The plant has been ordered to shut down after carcinogenic chemicals were found in bore water.

The latest testing by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) found five bores had traces of benzene and toluene but the levels had declined.

Tests on another three bores found no evidence of the chemicals.

However, Cougar Energy says the results of bore water tests on its site were incorrect, but a DERM spokesman says that is being investigated.


Site shut down

DERM director-general John Bradley says the site will remain shut down pending the outcome of a full investigation.

"The testing results we've received do show the presence of hydrocarbons, including benzene and toluene declined from the earlier tests results at these levels," he said.

"Queensland Health advised that no adverse health affects will be expected."

Mr Bradley says the company will supply a separate water source to landholders until DERM is sure it is safe to drink the bore water.

"Where necessary, DERM will ensure that Cougar Energy provides water through alternative sources, like water carting," he said.

"We'll be doing that to make sure that landholders aren't affected through interruptions to their water supply while these tests are underway."

Mr Bradley says more testing will be carried out this week, but local land owners still should not drink the bore water.

"We see no evidence of detections which are above Australian drinking water guidelines or which are of concern to safety in relation to the detections around landholders' bores," he said.

"But we want to make sure that we've completed that further round of testing and provided a full assessment before we come to final recommendation for local landholders."


Concerned residents

Land owners affected by the contaminated water want a meeting with both Queensland's environment and resources ministers.

Concerned residents met with DERM officials last night and called for a ban on all underground coal gasification projects.

Landholder Damien O'Sullivan's property is among 13 near Kingaroy being tested for pollutants.

He says he has been told not to let his cattle drink the water.

"We'd certainly be wanting to talk to the director-generals of the departments involved the Kingaroy [investigation]," he said.

"Concerned citizens would really like to speak to the ministers involved and really make sure this process is once and for all is banned in Queensland."


Monitoring questions

Meanwhile, the Queensland Opposition said yesterday the State Government needs to closely monitor gas sites around the state, rather than letting companies do their own environmental testing.

Opposition energy spokesman Jeff Seeney says the Government should be doing independent testing at mine sites across the state.

"This was a trial of an unproven technology and the Government should've been monitoring the trial very closely,' he said.

"Now I raised with the Minister in [budget] estimates [hearings] the extent to which the Government monitors and supervises mining activity across the state and I believe that that monitoring and supervision is inadequate."

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek says despite the problems, the trial projects should not be scrapped.

"That's the sort of reaction that is knee-jerk but it shows the level of concern amongst a lot of these rural and regional communities about whether the Government has monitoring the trials properly and is allocating enough resources to make sure that the information gets back to people on the ground," he said.

Tags: business-economics-and-finance, industry, mining, oil-and-gas, environment, mining, pollution, government-and-politics, public-sector, rural, mining, environmental-impact, qld, bundaberg-4670, kingaroy-4610, toowoomba-4350

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