ABC News: Contaminated water pumped onto vegetation at Beetaloo Basin fracking site

January 15, 2025 10:37 AM

Environmental experts say they are "deeply concerned" by a recent contamination incident in the Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin and have warned it could be the start of more to come should full-scale fracking go ahead in the region.

On Tuesday, an incident report issued by fracking company Imperial Oil and Gas to the NT Environment Protection Agency (NT EPA), made public under NT legislation, revealed about 2,000 litres of contaminated water had spilled onto vegetation surrounding one of its wells near Borroloola.

The company, which is a subsidiary of oil and gas company Empire Energy, reported rainwater pumped off the top of a wastewater tank had potentially mixed with wastewater containing organic and inorganic compounds used in the fracking process.

"Water [was] sampled and identified to have high salinity indicating potential mixing with flowback fluid stored under the lid for re-use," the report said.

The report stated the pumping began on December 24 and continued for two weeks until vegetation was seen to be "stressed".

In a statement provided to the ABC, an Empire Energy spokesperson said the release occurred when rainwater was being removed from the cover of a tank containing saline water.

It said the salinity had affected several small trees and other vegetation in an area adjacent to a well site.

"The inadvertent release should not have happened," the spokesperson said.

"Empire is investigating the cause and taking steps to ensure it is not repeated."

The NT government said authorised inspectors from the environmental regulator would travel to the site to determine the cause and impact of the damage.

Principal climate adviser at public policy think-tank The Australia Institute, Mark Ogge, said the incident was "very concerning" and a "warning sign" of what could be to come if full-scale fracking went ahead in the Beetaloo.

He said accidents and spills from fracking were not isolated and happened "a lot all over the world".

"There's only a few wells that have been fracked in the Beetaloo so far and they're already having these kind of contaminations," Mr Ogge said.

"They're proposing tens of thousands of wells, so this is a very, very bad sign."

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