BEACH Energy has confirmed drilling mud and liquid effluent from its conventional drilling site north of Mount Gambier has been trucked to Portland for disposal.
This follows questions flowing from the region’s anti-gas mining fraternity whether liquid from the Haselgrove-3 conventional well will be irrigated onto agricultural land.
Anti-gas mining activists have previously raised concerns regarding Beach irrigating wastewater from its Jolly 1 rig site on farmland near Penola.
Beach Energy regional manager Glenn Toogood said the wastewater material from the Haselgrove-3 site was trucked to Portland for disposal.
He revealed the material could not be irrigated onto farmland because it exceeded Environment Protection Authority (EPA) guidelines.
Mr Toogood said the company that trucked the liquid held an EPA licence to handle these materials, which in this case were “quite benign” in regards to the level of toxicity.
Meanwhile, the regional executive said the site had been levelled and public access had been returned.
“Security has been removed,” Mr Toogood said.
“There is now just a well head sticking out and a pad, which is fenced off.”
He said the site was owned by OneFortyOne Plantations.
Limestone Coast Protection Alliance member Cate Cooper said it was important gas mining wastewater was not irrigated on farmland by any gas producer.
“We do not want to see this dirty water put back in to our aquifer,” Ms Cooper said.
She said Beach had previously irrigated wastewater from its other wells in the Penola district onto agricultural land.
Ms Cooper – who operates an accommodation business in Penola – warned this activity tarnished the region’s clean and green image.
“I worry about it contaminating our produce given the waste water contains chemicals,” she said.
Ms Cooper has also called on Beach to reveal what “nasty” chemicals were in the wastewater from Haselgrove-3.
The anti-gas activist also hit out over the fact Beach’s water usage was “not metered”, which she claimed was a drain on the aquifer.
She said this was in stark contrast to regional farmers and landholders who had water quotas.
Fellow alliance member Merilyn Paxton raised concerns about Beach trucking wastewater to Portland.
“We do not want to push this into Victoria’s backyard,” Ms Paxton said.
She said Victoria had a ban on onshore gas mining.
