Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Land
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water resources for agriculture, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Office
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Biodiversity
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Invasive species
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    • Wildlife trade
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us Enhancing Australia’s agriculture, environment, heritage and water resources through regulation and partnership.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    A day in the life

    A day in the life...

    Our video series showcases the diverse and important work we do.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Agriculture

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Water
  3. Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
  4. National assessment of chemicals associated with coal seam gas extraction in Australia
  5. The environment

Sidebar first - EN - Coal, coal seam gas and water

  • Coal, Coal seam gas and water
    • About
    • Projects
    • Office of Water Science
      • National Partnership Agreement
    • Regulation
    • Science and research
      • Ecosystems and water
      • Hydrology
      • Chemicals
        • National assessment of chemicals
          • Public health
          • Coal seam gas workers’ health
          • The environment
          • About the assessment
          • How the assessment was done
          • Protecting human health and the environment
          • The Assessment reports
      • Supporting research
    • Resources

The environment

Environment

The Australian Government commissioned the National assessment of chemicals associated with coal seam gas extraction in Australia in 2012.

The Assessment examined 113 chemicals used by companies in Australia between 2010 and 2012 in drilling and hydraulic fracturing for coal seam gas, to develop a stronger understanding of the risks these chemicals could pose to the health of workers, the public and the environment.

Read the Assessment Overview for a summary of the Assessment and its methods and findings.

The Assessment was a complex project of Australian Government partners, resulting in 14 reports and reviews.

What the Assessment looked at

The Department undertook the environmental risk assessment using two methods. The method used was based on the level of information that was available for the chemical.

For chemicals with only basic information available, the risk assessment was done by compiling evidence from the international scientific literature to support an expert judgement on the chemical’s potential to harm the environment. This approach considered the behaviour of the chemicals in the environment and what harm they could cause to water- and land-based animals and plants. It also considered how chemicals were used in coal seam gas extraction, factoring in the most likely ways for chemicals to be released during the extraction process and protective measures to prevent and limit spills and leaks.

Chemicals with more information available were assessed using a different method. Scenarios were developed to show how chemicals might enter a water body such as a river, pond or lake. Potential harm to the environment was assessed by determining what effect the chemicals could have on aquatic organisms in the water body, including algae, invertebrates and fish. As with the human health risk assessment, the scenarios were informed by the scientific literature and the industry survey in the preparatory steps.

The risks to the environment were assessed for the following scenarios:

  • a chemical spills during transport from a storage warehouse to the well site and the spill is not detected, notified or cleaned up
  • a chemical spills from storage at a storage facility and the spill is not detected, notified or cleaned up
  • a chemical spills from storage at the well site and the spill is not detected, notified or cleaned up
  • a chemical spills during use and handling at the well site and the spill is not detected, notified or cleaned up
  • waste water containing a chemical spills during use or management of the waste water and the spill is not detected, notified or cleaned up
  • waste water containing a chemical leaks from storage pond or tank and the leak is unreported
  • waste water containing a chemical is reused for dust suppression
  • waste water containing a chemical is reused for irrigation.

Scenarios where coal seam gas chemicals could enter the environment

Text alternative of the scenarios infographic

Scenario infographic

Where an industrial spill or leak does occur, companies are required to have protocols in place to promptly detect, control and report the incident. The use and management of coal seam gas waste water is also subject to strict conditions and controls.

What the Assessment found

The Assessment looked at what could happen if a chemical entered the environment through accidental spills and leaks, or intentional reuse of untreated coal seam gas waste water for other purposes.

The majority of chemicals (61 of the 113 chemicals tested) were found to be unlikely to cause harm to the environment when used in coal seam gas extraction, even if they were to spill or leak in high volumes.

It is in the event of a transport spill or where untreated waste water containing chemicals is reused for irrigation or dust suppression, that certain chemicals have the potential to cause harm to the environment.

Scenarios where chemicals could potentially cause harm to the environment

Some coal seam gas chemicals could potentially cause harm to the environment, primarily in the event of a transport spill or where waste water is reused for irrigation or dust suppression.

Transport of chemicals
Spill during transport to the well site
When the chemical could enter the environment What chemicals could cause harm What protects the environment from harm

A transport accident occurs, resulting in a large spill of a chemical into a nearby water body.

Under this scenario, a truck-load (up to 14,000 L) of the chemical would have to spill into surface water, the spill would have to go undetected, and no action would have to be taken to prevent or clean up the spill.

If no protective measures were in place, 15 of the 113 chemicals tested could potentially cause harm to the environment in the event of a transport spill. These chemicals are:

  • Ammonium persulfate
  • Boric acid
  • Caustic soda
  • Glutaraldehyde
  • Guar gum
  • Hydrochloric acid
  • Methylchloroisoth azolinone
  • Methylisothiazolone
  • Polymer with substituted alkylacrylamide salt
  • Potassium chloride
  • Soda ash
  • Sodium chloride
  • Sulfuric acid potassium salt (1:2)
  • THPS
  • Xanthan gum

This scenario looked at what could happen if standard precautions to prevent or control the spill were not taken.

In practice, the transport and use of industrial chemicals is regulated by the states and Commonwealth.

Legislation, regulations and national standards set out the requirements for the safe transport of chemicals, including for packaging, driver training, safety equipment and vehicle standards. These measures reduce the risk of a spill occurring, or of not being detected and cleaned up if it does occur.

Coal seam gas projects also operate under conditions of approval. State and Commonwealth regulations and industry codes of practice require companies to manage chemicals in a way that minimises the risk of causing harm, which includes how they handle and transport chemicals.

Companies must also have emergency protocols in place to detect and respond to spills, including containing, cleaning up and reporting the spill.

Management of waste water
Reuse of waste water for dust suppression
Management of waste water
Reuse of waste water for irrigation
When the chemical could enter the environment What chemicals could cause harm What protects the environment from harm

Waste water from coal seam gas extraction is reused on land for dust suppression or irrigation.

Under this scenario, the waste water would have to contain large concentrations of a chemical and be applied repeatedly to land that receives low rainfall.

Four of the 113 chemicals tested could potentially cause harm to the environment when waste water containing the chemicals is reused. These chemicals are:

  • Borax
  • Boric acid salt, monoethanolamine
  • Sodium borate
  • Boric acid

Conditions of coal seam gas approvals under state and Commonwealth law, together with state water legislation and policies, govern how waste water can be reused what quality standards it must meet before use.

Where detailed information was unavailable the chemicals could only be assessed at the earliest, most conservative level of testing which was designed to overestimate risk. The chemicals were classed as potentially harmful at this level, but further information and testing would be required to determine the actual level of risk.

What protects the environment

These scenarios looked at what could happen if standard safety and handling practices were not in place. Industrial chemical use and coal seam gas operations are closely regulated by state, territory and Commonwealth governments, which legally require protective measures to be in place to safeguard human health and the environment.

Legislation, regulations, standards and codes of practice cover the coal seam gas industry including workplace and public health and safety, environmental and water protection, managing and reusing waste water, and the transport, handling, storage and disposal of chemicals. Coal seam gas projects must be assessed and approved under state, territory and Commonwealth environmental laws and may be subject to site-specific conditions including how the companies manage chemical risk.

More information

What the findings mean for:

  • public health
  • coal seam gas workers' health
  • the environment

Information about:

  • Protecting human health and the environment
  • How the Assessment was done
  • The Assessment reports

Text alternative of the infographics

​Scenarios where coal seam gas chemicals could enter the environment

Relates to storage of chemicals

  • Leak from storage at an intermediate facility
  • Leak from storage at the well site

Relates to transport of chemicals

  • Spill during transport to the well site

Relates to use at the well site

  • Spill during use at the well site

Relates to management of waste water

  • Spill during management of waste water
  • Spill during storage of waste water
  • Reuse of waste water for dust suppression
  • Reuse of waste water for irrigation
Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 10 October 2021

© Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.