feet ... and how to shoot them

Imo, the Qld Govt, DERM and CSG companies are in denial over the potential effects of CSG drainage on regional acquifers. Have a read of:

http://www.australianews.com.au/australia/queensland/darlingdowns/toowoomba/story?cityid=9901bdf5-f527-4b68-852d-149172949fd4&storyid=0c54d54b-5522-41b8-abe3-4b9926be09eb

DERM's lengthy, schmoooooosy document on managing CSG drainage water includes the following page:

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/environmental_management/coal-seam-gas/groundwater.html

which boasts:
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Tough new laws being brought in to protect landholder's groundwater supplies and the local environment if there are any impacts from CSG activities.

The new laws will apply to current and future projects and require evaluation and strict management of impacts of water extraction from the CSG process on bores, aquifers and springs.

New strigger thresholds will be used to investigate individual CSG operators� impacts on bore water supplies.

Trigger thresholds are:

5-metre drop for consolidated aquifers, such as sandstone
2-metre drop for shallow alluvial aquifers
0.2-metre drop for springs, including watercourses connected to springs

If a bore owner believes CSG water extraction has caused a decline in their bore water levels in excess of the trigger value, the CSG producer will be obliged to negotiate 'make good' arrangements (PDF, 114K)* with the bore owner, under the "make good" provisions of the new regulations.
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Talk about shooting one's self in the foot!!

The above document, left unchanged, will cause the Qld Govt major grief imo ... how can they possibly feel confident that up to 10,000 CSG wells over 30,000 km2 of the Surat Basin relentlessly draining coal seam water for several decades won't trip the above trigger values?

Those trigger values look kinda generous to me too ... certainly more than the sub drinking water quality standards being applied right now to the UCG industry.

Is this two standards or double standards?

Dex