OK - no weird symbols there so here is another story.South...

OK - no weird symbols there so here is another story.

South Burnett Times

Friday 3rd December 2010.

Page 2 - "YOUR SAY" COLUMN'S


UCG PROCESS NOT TRUSTWORTHY

So Cougar Energy hopes to reopen its Kingaroy plant because of - quote - "recent safe ground water tests".

Ground water they contaminated in breach of their contract that said NO contamination, at all. This plant was self-selected by Cougar themselves and accepted as a trial on the basis that the process could be undertaken safely and that there would be NO contamination from the exercise.

Well, there has been contamination and this contamination has proved costly to the community when the livelihoods of the local population relies on the purity of the water source.

It has become problematic for farmers to market their stock.

For some years now we have had a vibrant tourism industry; this is now being questioned as to the safety and wellbeing of visitors.

Water is a vital issue, or rather the lack of it.

The community adapts in times of drought and accepts the resulting restrictions, but restrictions that are incurred by industries such as the very inappropriately sited USG (that is not a typo) plant is a whole different matter as this is because of contamination.

The Queensland government together with landholders has invested significant monies towards capping the bores on the Great Artesian basin to ensure longevity of use from that source.

Then there is the Murray Darling catchment and the new levels of restrictions on that source.

These gasification processes take millions of litres of available pure water and turn it into an un-usable, contamination environmental hazard.

The UCG process relies on our underground aquifers to provide pressure to the gas chamber however no one knows just where these flow.

Even the "expert panel" appointed to oversee the processes admit that they do not and as after only four days of "burn" Cougar managed a significant contamination of surrounding bores it makes one doubt their common sense.

And this has not addressed the health issue - Queensland Health is stretched to breaking point as it is.

S. H. SCOTT
Nanango

ENDS


Feel free to comment on these stories guys.

The above writer talks about Cougar contaminating water.

Just to the North West of Kingaroy is Gordonbrook Dam which is the main water supply dam for Kingaroy. It has been overflowing recently & opened very briefly for swimming, fishing etc but it was no sooner opened & it was closed again due to an outbreak of blue green algae which is toxic.

What causes blue green algae - might it be fertilisers used by local farmers?

Refer to:-

http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/water/w3.pdf