Environment and Resource Management

Cumulative Management Area

Under the Water Act 2000, a Cumulative Management Area (CMA) can be declared if an area contains two or more petroleum tenures, including tenures on which coal seam gas activities operate and where there may be cumulative impacts on groundwater resulting from water extraction by the tenure holders.

The Surat CMA is identified in the attached map (PDF, 1.1M)*.

The declaration of a CMA means that the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) will prepare an underground water impact report for the area.

In these reports the QWC will identify likely future impacts on underground water from the water extraction associated with the petroleum tenures, and provide appropriate strategies for managing these impacts.

Further information about CMAs is available below:

 

Why declare a Cumulative Management Area?

A Cumulative Management Area (CMA) provides a system to assess and manage the cumulative underground water impacts from multiple petroleum tenures.

Declaring a CMA enables assessment of future impacts using a regional modelling approach and the development of management responses – such as monitoring programs – that are relevant to the potential cumulative impacts. It also enables responsibilities to be assigned, through the department approved underground water impact report, to each tenure holder in the area for monitoring, bore and baseline assessments, and negotiating make good arrangements.

Why was this area declared a Cumulative Management Area?

The Surat Basin and the Southern Bowen Basin contain conventional oil and gas and coal seam gas (CSG) operations.

CSG activities occur in the Walloon Coal measures of the Surat Basin and in the Bowen Basin. Conventional oil and gas activities are undertaken in a number of Surat and Bowen Basin formations including the Precipice and Showground Sandstones.

The Surat Cumulative Management Area was declared after consideration of:

Petroleum and gas activities produce large amounts of water and may have an impact on water levels in the coal seams and adjacent aquifers.

Any impact on adjacent aquifers is dependent on the interconnectivity between the coal seams and aquifers. This may result in impacts on bores that tap into the aquifers.

How was the boundary of the Surat Cumulative Management Area determined?

The Water Act applies to two types of petroleum tenure, a petroleum lease and an authority to prospect (e.g. exploration).The Surat Cumulative Management Area (Surat CMA) includes activities operating under both of these tenures.

As activities on a petroleum lease produce significantly more water than an authority to prospect, the boundary of the Surat CMA has been determined by focusing on the location of petroleum leases (PDF, 1.2M)*.

However, obligations within the Surat CMA apply equally to tenure holders operating under a petroleum lease or authority to prospect.

The Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) associated with major petroleum activities show impacts extending for approximately 50 km beyond tenure boundaries. In addition to this, all of the petroleum leases in the Surat Basin are located within 50 km of a lease owned by another company.

This has resulted in the boundary encompassing lands approximately 50 km beyond the outer perimeter of the group of petroleum leases. The boundary in the Southern Bowen Basin has the same 50 km buffer.

The Southern Bowen Basin underlies the Surat Basin, with likely interconnection between the Basins. The location of the Surat and Bowen Basins in relation to the Surat Cumulative Management Area is identified on the attached map (PDF, 1.1M)*.

The urban environment surrounding Toowoomba contains a significant density of domestic water bores. To ensure that this area of high density domestic water bores was included in the Surat Cumulative Management Area, the boundary in this area extends beyond the 50 km buffer for petroleum leases.

For further details on the map boundary and an explanation on the inclusion of relevant areas see below.

What does declaring a Cumulative Management Area mean and what is the responsibility of the Queensland Water Commission?

Declaring a Cumulative Management Area (CMA) ensures that any cumulative impacts on groundwater resulting from water extraction by petroleum tenure holders is managed.

The Queensland Water Commission (QWC) is an independent entity responsible for managing a CMA including:

The underground water impact report will identify likely future impacts on underground water resulting from the water extraction associated with the petroleum tenures. The report will also provide appropriate strategies for managing these impacts.

The QWC will undertake public consultation prior to submitting reports for CMAs to the department for assessment.

The underground water impact report will assign responsibilities to petroleum tenure holders in the CMA including for negotiating make good agreements with bore owners and the implementation of water monitoring strategies.

For further detail on what a Cumulative Management Area means for petroleum tenure holders (PDF, 86K)* see the factsheet.

The rights of bore owners within the Cumulative Management Area are not affected by the declaration. If a private water bore has an impaired capacity within or outside the Cumulative Management Area as a result of water extraction by petroleum tenure holders, the petroleum tenure holders must make good the impairment.

For further detail on what a Cumulative Management area means for bore owners (PDF, 89K)* see the factsheet.

What happens after the QWC has prepared a draft underground water impact report for a Cumulative Management Area?

After the QWC has undertaken consultation on the draft UWIR, it has the opportunity to amend the report prior to submitting it to the department for assessment.

The department will then undertake an assessment of the draft report to ensure that the modelling and strategies in the report are appropriate. After assessment, the chief executive will decide whether to either:

If the UWIR is approved, it will take legal effect and tenure holders must comply with approved report obligations (including requirements to make good).

What about areas outside of the Surat Cumulative Management Area?

Obligations to manage impacts on underground water also apply outside the Cumulative Management Area (CMA). Petroleum tenure holders outside the CMA are obliged to develop underground water impact reports, undertake baseline and bore assessments and negotiate make good agreements with water bore owners.

Summary of differences within and outside the Cumulative Management Area
Responsibility Inside CMA Outside CMA
Who is responsible for assessing impacts on water bores affected by tenure holders extracting water? The approved underground water impact report produced by the Queensland Water Commission will assign responsibility to individual tenure holders. The tenure holder.
Who is responsible for making good any impacts on private water bores? The approved underground water impact report produced by the Queensland Water Commission will assign responsibility to individual tenure holders. The tenure holder.
Who is responsible for developing the underground water impact report? The Queensland Water Commission. The tenure holder.
Who is responsible for approving the underground water impact report? The Department of Environment and Resource Management. The Department of Environment and Resource Management. Advice may be sought from the Queensland Water Commission
Do water rights in relation to private water bores change? No. No.

Boundary of the Surat Cumulative Management Area

This boundary is drawn using lines of latitude and longitude which will be detailed in the gazette notice. The boundary extends beyond these tenures to encompass an area that includes the likely extent of these overlapping groundwater level impacts.

The boundary is drawn using lines of latitude and longitude as detailed in the gazette notice. The map (PDF, 1.1M)* marks points along the boundary, points A–G.

Marks A–B

This part of the boundary defines an area located within 50 km of a petroleum lease that is also underlain by the coal seams targeted by petroleum leases and potentially connected aquifers. The area west of Warwick is not included as it is more than 50 km from the leases. The coal seams or connected aquifers do not extend into this area. The long western boundary is interrupted by one east-west line—in order to define an area approximately 50km from the leases.

Marks B–C

This part of the boundary located to the north of Emerald and Blackwater specifically separates the petroleum leases of the southern Bowen Basin from those in the northern Bowen Basin.

The southern Bowen Basin contains coal seams that are isolated from the northern Bowen Basin by geologic structures. Petroleum leases to the south of the boundary are targeting coal seams of the southern Bowen Basin. These coal seams outcrop near the boundary and dip generally toward the south. Petroleum leases to the north of the boundary are targeting coal seams of the northern Bowen Basin that also outcrop near the boundary but dip generally toward the north.

The southern part of the Bowen Basin is included in the Surat CMA because there might be some interconnection between the Surat Basin and southern Bowen Basin.

Impacts from CSG water extraction on adjacent aquifers are unlikely to extend across the boundary.

Marks C–D

This part of the boundary separates the leases in the western part of the southern Bowen Basin from the leases in the eastern part, around Moura. Geologic structures including faulting, separate the western and eastern parts of the southern Bowen Basin. Any water level impacts from water extraction in the east are unlikely to extend to the west, and vice versa.

Marks D–E

This part of the boundary defines an area located within 50 km of a petroleum lease that is also underlain by the coal seams targeted by petroleum leases and potentially connected aquifers.

Marks E–F

This part of the boundary defines an area located within 50 km of a petroleum lease that is also underlain by the coal seams targeted by petroleum leases and potentially connected aquifers.

The Mulgildie section of the Surat Basin is excluded from the Surat CMA because the geologic connection with the major portion of the Surat Basin to the south is extremely constricted. Water extraction in the Surat CMA is unlikely to affect water levels in the Mulgildie basin.

Marks F–G

This part of the boundary defines an area located within 50 km of a petroleum lease that is also underlain by the coal seams targeted by petroleum leases and potentially connected aquifers. Part of the Clarence Moreton basin is included in the boundary because groundwater can move between the Surat Basin and the Clarence Moreton Basin.

Marks G–A

This part of the boundary has been extended to include the Toowoomba area. Even though the likelihood of impact extending to that area is low, the area has been included because of the reliance on groundwater in Toowoomba. This provides confidence that impact potential will be carefully assessed in this area.

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Last updated 17 May 2012

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