Background review Aquifer connectivity within the Great Artesian Basin, and the Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins This background review was commissioned by the Department of the Environment on the advice of the Interim Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Coal Mining. The review was prepared by the CSIRO and revised by the Department of the Environment following peer review. June 2014 Background review: aquifer connectivity within the Great Artesian Basin, and Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins Copyright © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia, 2014. Aquifer connectivity within the Great Artesian Basin, and the Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins, Background review is licensed by the Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 Australia licence with the exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia, the logo of the agency responsible for publishing the report, content supplied by third parties, and any images depicting people. For licence conditions see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/ This report should be attributed as ‘Aquifer connectivity within the Great Artesian Basin, and the Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins, Background review, Commonwealth of Australia 2014’. The Commonwealth of Australia has made all reasonable efforts to identify content supplied by third parties using the following format ‘© Copyright, [name of third party] ’. Enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: Department of the Environment, Public Affairs GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 Or by email to: [email protected] This publication can be accessed at: www.iesc.environment.gov.au Acknowledgements This background review was commissioned by the Department of the Environment on the advice of the Interim Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Coal Mining. The review was prepared by CSIRO, with input from Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd, Queensland University of Technology and National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training. It was revised by the Department of the Environment following peer review by Mr Doug Anderson and Dr William Glamore (University of NSW Water Research Laboratory) and relevant Queensland, New South Wales and South Australian Government departments. Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for the Environment or the Interim Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Coal Mining or the statutory Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development (IESC). While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth and IESC do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication. Addendum Changes to state government departments have occurred since the finalisation of this report by the authors. The Queensland, New South Wales and South Australian Government agencies were contacted and updated information provided in September 2013; however, no guarantees can be made as to the completeness of these updates. Up-to-date information should be sourced from the relevant department. page 2 of 209 Background review: aquifer connectivity within the Great Artesian Basin, and Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins On 1 January 2013, the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) ceased operations. The Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) retains the same powers as the former QWC under Chapter 3 of the Water Act 2000 (Qld). Contributors The following list acknowledges the primary authors and contributors for each section of this report: Executive Summary – Glenn HarringtonA Chapter 1 – Glenn HarringtonA Chapter 2 – Luk PeetersA, Glenn HarringtonA, Rick EvansB Chapter 3 – Stephanie VilleneuveC, Glenn HarringtonA, Karsten MichaelA, Rick EvansB Chapter 4 – John KozuskanichC, Rick EvansB, Karsten MichaelA Chapter 5 – Chris TurnadgeA, Luk PeetersA, Brian SmerdonA Chapter 6 – Chris TurnadgeA, Luk PeetersA, Brian SmerdonA Chapter 7 – Tim EzzyB, Rick EvansB, Karsten MichaelA, Malcolm CoxD Chapter 8 – Stephen ParsonsB, Rick EvansB, Malcolm CoxD Chapter 9 – Glenn HarringtonA Chapter 10 – Glenn HarringtonA The authors would also like to thank Brian SmerdonA for useful peer review comments on a preliminary draft of this report. A CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship B Sinclair Knight Merz Pty Ltd (now Jacobs SKM) C National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training D Queensland University of Technology page 3 of 209 Background review: aquifer connectivity within the Great Artesian Basin, and Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins Contents Copyright ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. 2 Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................................ 2 Addendum ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Contributors ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Glossary................................................................................................................................................. 18 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 26 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 26 1.2 Definition and relevance ....................................................................................................... 26 1.3 Objectives and scope ........................................................................................................... 28 1.4 Outline .................................................................................................................................. 28 2 Aquifer connectivity ....................................................................................................................... 30 2.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 30 2.2 Types of aquifer connectivity................................................................................................ 30 2.3 Groundwater flow ................................................................................................................. 36 2.4 Transport of solutes ............................................................................................................. 39 2.5 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 42 3 Measurement and modelling of aquifer connectivity .................................................................... 43 3.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 43 3.2 Measurement ....................................................................................................................... 43 3.3 Modelling .............................................................................................................................. 59 3.4 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................... 66 4 Changes in aquifer connectivity .................................................................................................... 68 4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................................... 68 4.2 Mechanical deformation ....................................................................................................... 68 4.3 Hydraulic fracturing and coal seam gas operations ............................................................. 72 4.4 Induced seismicity and the reactivation of faults.................................................................. 75 4.5 Boreholes ............................................................................................................................. 77 4.6 Discussion and conclusions ................................................................................................. 79 page 4 of 209 Background review: aquifer connectivity within the