Beetaloo Basin Traditional Owners have raised the alarm about "a significant compliance breach" by an oil and gas company operating on their Country.
On Tuesday the Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation noted a subsidiary of Empire Energy, Imperial Oil and Gas, has reported pumping 2,000 litres of saline water and fracking flowback fluid from the lid of a holding tank for drilling of the Carpentaria 5 well pad into nearby vegetation, which became "stressed".
The NT government had revealed the incident earlier on Tuesday, reporting that as is required by regulation 33 of the Petroleum (Environment) Regulations 2016, Imperial Oil and Gas provided notice to the environmental regulator of a reportable incident in the Beetaloo Sub-Basin.
"The incident reportedly involved the release of fluid - about 2,000 litres - from a well site which caused a visible impact to offsite vegetation," Treasurer Bill Yan said.
"Authorised inspectors for the environmental regulator are travelling to the site to determine the cause and impact."
Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation said the latest incident is "on top of a string of other breaches" across four years from drilling and testing four wells in the Beetaloo Basin.
The Traditional Owners group noted past incidents include a leak in a wastewater storage tank, clearing and construction of well pads and gravel pits in unauthorised locations, land clearing including in Gouldian finch habitat, over-extraction of groundwater and problems managing wastewater during big rains.
The organisaton noted Empire Energy recently obtained approval for nine new wells as part of its "Carpentaria Pilot Project".
Nurrdalinji Director Cain O'Keefe, who lives in Borroloola with his young family, speaks from the Karranjini group and has been employed by Empire to survey land for cultural significance and work at the Carpentaria site during the drilling of Carp 5.
"Empire promised us that they wouldn't spill contaminated water. They are breaking another protocol. This needs to be dealt with straight away," he said.
"There should be no more work until this is investigated. Empire needs to be charged and pay up for what they did.
"When the wet season comes, it's only going to get worse and the contamination could be a danger to Relief Creek, which carries water right across the country."
Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation chair Samuel Janama Sandy said spills of contaminated fluids "damage our ecosystem, plants and animals".
"If our water is poisoned, all Territorians will suffer. Minister (Tanya) Plibersek should pull the water trigger so her scientists look closely at the risks to water from fracking projects," he said.
"Gas companies say they can manage the operations, but they're cowboys. Empire has already broken the rules and done damage. Now they're doing it again. They should pack their bags and go home."
A spokesperson for Empire Energy told National Indigenous Times the company reported the release of approximately 12 barrels of saline water from its operations in the Beetaloo Basin.
"The salinity has impacted several small trees and other vegetation in an area adjacent to a well site. The area has environmental approval to be cleared for additional operations on the site," he said.
"The release occurred when rainwater was being removed from the cover of a tank containing the saline water.
"The inadvertent release should not have happened. Empire is investigating the cause and taking steps to ensure it is not repeated."
Nurrdalinji Native Title Aboriginal Corporation has members across the Beetaloo Basin and Barkly regions. It includes native title holders from the Amungee Mungee, Beetaloo, Hayfield, Kalala, Newcastle Waters - Murranji, Nutwood Downs, Shenandoah, Tandyidgee, Tanumbirini, Daly Waters Township, Ucharonidge native title determinations.