Economic impacts of coal seam water for agricultural enterprises, lessons for efficient water management

While the coal seam gas industry is relatively new in Australia its growth has been significant. To date, development has been located almost entirely in Queensland. Significant quantities of coal seam water are produced as a by-product of this industry. Once treated, it provides a potential benefit for agricultural use. How much water is being produced, where, and what proportion can practically be used for this purpose depends on a number of social and environmental limitations. One of these limitations is that much of this water is only available for a restricted timeframe, perhaps only 20 years, and much of this water is only available in proximity to large treatment plants. While these provide short-term benefits, these may have been improved through more efficient storage and distribution. The lessons for improved groundwater management and alternative storage mechanisms have the potential to yield major improvements for sustainable agriculture.