Gas contamination of land south of Chinchilla

Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles today emphasised the Palaszczuk Government’s priority is to provide support and advice to the landholders in the Chinchilla and Hopeland communities.

“From the moment we became aware of contamination in this region, in February 2015, my Department has continued to undertake soil testing and drilling," Dr Miles said.

“We want to ensure the local landholders are kept informed at all times about what we’re doing on the land, the extent of the contamination we’ve found, and the nature of the impacts that this contamination may have on them.

“EHP is visiting landholders today, and EHP started making personal contact with them yesterday before EHP officers arrived in the region today. A call centre has also been set up to help explain the situation to landholders.

“At the outset let me stress that the preliminary results we have received from testing up to December last year show no new contaminants.

“We have detected the presence of hydrogen below ground on land outside the present excavation caution zone, and any issues this may create are manageable.”

Dr Miles said the government’s most recent testing was at 70 locations outside the excavation caution zone, 58 conducted on state land and 12 on private land.

“I am advised that preliminary results showed elevated levels of hydrogen on three of those private properties and we have moved immediately to ensure the landholders concerned are made aware of what this means to them.

“Our testing continues to confirm that human health is not impacted and neither are local water supplies, air quality or agricultural products.

“We are saying to landholders that if hydrogen is confirmed on their properties, any excavation or similar work below a depth of two metres should be undertaken with due care and attention.

“General farm work is not, and never has been impacted.”

The hydrogen gas dissipates quickly in the open air.

Scientific analysis has already established that this gas is associated with combustion processes and is not associated with coal seam gas development.

Dr Miles said EHP would continue its testing program in the area.

“We are working hard to measure the scope of the contamination and to make sure the community is continually advised of where we are testing and what results we have received.”

Dr Miles said testing has continued in the region of Hopeland after soil gas contaminants were found in February 2015.

He said results from initial “rapid assessment” phase resulted in the present excavation caution zone, approximately 320 square kilometres in size, being established.

The present excavation caution zone does not, as some reports have suggested, ”ban” anyone from excavating – it simply advises individuals wishing to excavate to take precautions before doing so.

“EHP is consulting with experts, including scientists from the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation and relevant universities, to determine the best way forward from here and we will ensure the local community is kept informed of these plans," Dr Miles said.

“We thank landholders in the area for their patience as we continue to investigate and conduct further tests to better characterise the extent of contamination.

“The Government has also been in direct contact with the Mayor Paul McVeigh, and local MP Ann Leahy,” he said.

Further information on EHP’s work in the Chinchilla and Hopeland regions, including a map of the present excavation caution zone, is available on the department’s website at www.ehp.qld.gov.au.

ENDS

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