Farmers and environmentalists are furious after it was revealed the NSW Government may allow waste water from coal seam gas projects to be reinjected into underground water supplies, rivers or other water supply areas.
The latest draft of the state's Aquifer Interference Policy has been released to the public - not by the Government, but by stakeholders angry that the policy could see their water supplies polluted.
The policy could allow the largest coal and CSG projects to go ahead even if they fail the aquifer interference test - provided they get the tick from the Government.
Also causing anger is a section describing potential ways to deal with waste water.
"Alternative disposal options might include reinjection to an aquifer, discharge to a river, on-selling to a nearby industry, agricultural development or potable water supply," the policy states.
In the Illawarra region and nearby, some CSG well sites are in water catchment special areas.
Stop CSG Illawarra spokeswoman Jess Moore said reinjection was a "ridiculous" way of dealing with waste water.
"There have been ongoing problems with reinjection into aquifers in the US, both from the wells they use to do it leaking, and contamination of aquifers," she said.
"It's hard to see this policy as anything but spin, as it doesn't apply to large scale CSG projects."
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Illawarra Mercury
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