The City of Gold Coast commissioned the study in 2020 in response to community concerns<\/a> that “unmonitored and unregulated” commercial extraction or “water mining” at Springbrook National Park was having a “virtually unknown” impact on the sensitive ecosystem.<\/p>\n It has now been found that the sustainability of groundwater extraction is “uncertain”, particularly with extended dry periods, a more variable climate in the future, and a lack of comprehensive monitoring.<\/p>\n “Any extractions from these aquifers pose a potential risk to these hydrologically sensitive, internationally recognised ecosystems,\u201d the study stated.<\/p>\n Springbrook National Park is home to “hydrologically sensitive” ecosystems. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n The $1.1 million study has also called for establishing a long-term outdoor laboratory \u2013 known as a “critical zone observatory” \u2013 at Springbrook.<\/p>\n This would provide ongoing monitoring of the rainforest “from the tree-tops down the bedrock”, according to QUT groundwater researcher Lucy Reading.<\/p>\n It would also deliver annual environmental “report cards” on Springbrook’s health to the public.<\/p>\n A City of Gold Coast environment committee voted unanimously on Thursday to lobby the Queensland and federal governments, as well as philanthropic organisations, for funding to develop this proposed observatory.<\/p>\n Councillor Glenn Tozer said, until now, commercial water extractors had collected most of the groundwater data in the Springbrook area.<\/p>\n “[Now] we can reconcile what the commercial water extraction companies are saying they’re doing against the data we’ve collected,” he said.<\/p>\n “That can give certainty to residents about what the impact is here.”<\/p>\n Springbrook National Park is at the heart of a world-heritage listed rainforest. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n What’s so significant about Springbrook?<\/p>\n Springbrook is at the heart of a World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest, which stretches from the Gold Coast hinterland into northern New South Wales.<\/p>\n The rainforest dates back 50 million years and is linked to fossil flora that once grew in Patagonia and Antarctica.<\/p>\n It is also a habitat for 46 animal species listed as vulnerable to critically endangered.<\/p>\n “It’s a very special place,” Dr Reading said.<\/p>\n “And it’s very much reliant on the water resources on the mountain.”<\/p>\n But UNESCO has listed the Gondwana Rainforest as being of “significant concern”, while the federal government has rated it as having a “high vulnerability” to climate change.<\/p>\n Dr Reading said the rainforest’s groundwater sustained many deep-rooted trees along with several native species, including crayfish, which rely on springs fed by underground aquifers.<\/p>\n “If too much water is extracted, there won’t be enough water available for specific species,” she said. Some Tamborine Mountain locals protested commercial water extraction in 2020. (Supplied: Sabine Bannard)<\/p>\n The study did not specify the extraction limit, but Dr Reading said her team wanted to examine additional bores to determine it.<\/p>\n “If we have better data on how much is being extracted, and we’ve got monitoring in the right places, we can start to move towards assessing those impacts,” she said.<\/p>\n Vocal community opposition remains<\/p>\n Several commercial bores extract groundwater from the area, including one that was the focus of a long-running court battle.<\/p>\n In 2019, the City of Gold Coast rejected water-boring company Hoffman Drilling’s application to extract 16 million litres of groundwater from a property near Springbrook National Park.<\/p>\n A legal challenge from Hoffman Drilling was settled in 2023,<\/a> allowing the company to extract 8 million litres per year.<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/62cf7a89e533ed62d5571e6be4c05782.jpeg\")
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