{"id":696514,"date":"2026-07-17T11:22:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/696514\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T11:22:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:22:25","slug":"groundwater-concerns-grow-as-state-pushes-ahead-with-taroom-trough-oil-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/696514\/","title":{"rendered":"Groundwater concerns grow as state pushes ahead with Taroom Trough oil plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deep beneath Queensland’s grassy plains and scrub lies what some believe could be one of Australia’s biggest untapped oil prizes.<\/p>\n

The Taroom Trough was first drilled more than 60 years ago but abandoned when the technology couldn’t unlock it.<\/p>\n

Now, advances in drilling and growing concerns over fuel security have sparked a new rush, with governments promising to fast-track development.<\/p>\n

But before all those barrels can be brought to the surface from rock buried up to 4.5 kilometres down, one critical question remains: where will the millions of litres of water needed to extract it come from?<\/p>\n

Independent hydrogeologist Ned Hamer said unlocking the Taroom Trough’s oil reserves would require a water-intensive and controversial extraction method, which could prove one of the project’s biggest hurdles.<\/p>\n

“It does require fracking,” he said.<\/p>\n

“One of the biggest impacts is the amount of water that is used for the fracking process.”<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

Ned Hamer has worked for more than 30 years as a hydrogeologist throughout Australia. (Supplied: Earth Search)<\/p>\n

Mr Hamer said the state’s enthusiasm for developing the resource had outpaced planning for its water needs.<\/p>\n

“We don’t really have the water available for that extraction in these water-constrained areas,” he said.<\/p>\n

The Taroom Trough is a geological formation stretching from the New South Wales border into central Queensland and has become one of the state’s hottest oil and gas prospects.<\/p>\n

Premier David Crisafulli has called it a “sea of oil”, and Resources Minister Dale Last has declared: “I’ll sign, you drill.”<\/p>\n

\"dalelast\"<\/p>\n

Dale Last is excited about the potential of the Taroom Trough. (ABC Rural: Brandon Long)<\/p>\n

Companies including Omega Oil and Gas, Shell QGC, Santos and Elixir Energy are exploring the region, and while Shell is already producing about 200 barrels of crude oil a day, full commercial production will require more government approvals.<\/p>\n

The companies have invested more than $500 million in exploration, with estimates suggesting the basin could contain more than 30 million barrels of oil.<\/p>\n

Fracking controversy<\/p>\n

Extracting these reserves requires hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which involves pumping water underground at high pressure to crack rock between 3.5km and 4.5km below the surface.<\/p>\n

Currently in Australia, fracking uses 20 to 30 megalitres of water per well over its lifetime, with some water recycled or treated after use.<\/p>\n

That’s eight to 12 Olympic swimming pools.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

Queensland’s Taroom Trough is roughly the size of Denmark. (Supplied: Queensland government)<\/p>\n

Mr Hamer said Queensland should have a publicly available water plan agreed with landholders before drilling ramps up.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been calling for a plan to forecast that water use, agree on where that water is going to come from, how much is required \u2026 before the industry gets up and running,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I haven’t heard any talk at all about the impacts on water resources and landholders.”<\/p>\n

Mr Hamer said the risk of fracking deep underground contaminating the Great Artesian Basin was low because the target oil formations sat hundreds of metres below groundwater aquifers, and Queensland’s well-construction standards were considered strong.<\/p>\n

But contamination incidents have happened in Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The lack of detail is also worrying landholders.<\/p>\n

Property Rights Australia chair Dale Stiller, who owns grazing properties within the Taroom Trough, said groundwater was critical for many farmers, particularly during drought.<\/p>\n

“It’s lifeblood,” he said.<\/p>\n

“There needs to be far greater assurance and far more information about where this water is going to come from.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Dale Stiller says farmers want more information about water usage. (Supplied: Dale Stiller)<\/p>\n

Mr Stiller said most farmers were not opposed to oil and gas development but wanted more transparency.<\/p>\n

“The feedback I’m getting is that people aren’t deadset against this at all,” he said.<\/p>\n

“What they want is to say, ‘Hang on, we want to know more.'”<\/p>\n

The law<\/p>\n

Under Queensland law, landowners cannot stop mining or petroleum developments on their properties, only negotiate compensation.<\/p>\n

The Crisafulli government has moved to speed up development by creating a Taroom Trough Development Plan, which gives the coordinator-general broader powers to coordinate infrastructure and streamline approvals.<\/p>\n

Queensland is also asking the federal government to declare the basin a project of national interest to fast-track federal environmental approvals.<\/p>\n

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has accused the state of offering “a photo op and a flashy headline” without enough detail to assess the proposal.<\/p>\n

His office said no formal referrals for the Taroom Trough had yet been lodged under federal environment laws.<\/p>\n

Reassurances given\"four<\/p>\n

Western Downs Mayor Andrew Smith (left), Dale Last and Trevor Brown recently met in Dalby. (ABC Rural: Brandon Long)<\/p>\n

When asked at a recent press conference where the water would come from, the resources minister punted the question to Omega Oil and Gas chief executive Trevor Brown.<\/p>\n

Mr Brown said the company believed the project could be developed safely.<\/p>\n

“We’re completely removed from any of the aquifers that are used by the ag sector and any of the farmers here,” Mr Brown said.<\/p>\n

“The water will be an issue that we’re working through with the government, and we’ll make sure that it’s sustainable and done to the highest standards.”<\/p>\n

Mr Last insists mining and agriculture can work side by side.<\/p>\n

“We want the two to co-exist,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We want that to be a happy marriage.”<\/p>\n

Despite more than 15 government announcements promoting the Taroom Trough since February, none have explained where the project’s water supply will come from.<\/p>\n

Taxpayers are backing the project regardless, with at least $11.9 million already allocated.<\/p>\n

As Australia races to shore up domestic fuel supplies, communities living above the Taroom Trough say the real debate is no longer just about oil; it’s also about water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deep beneath Queensland’s grassy plains and scrub lies what some believe could be one of Australia’s biggest untapped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":696515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[1397,76445,2983,231473,2987,90,231471,231472,56,54,55,1426],"class_list":["post-696514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-fracking","tag-gas","tag-great-artesian-basin","tag-oil","tag-science","tag-taroom","tag-trough","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-water"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/696514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/696515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=696514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=696514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}