Namoi Water Study a step closer

By Lucy Donoghue | September 3, 2010

The successful independent expert that will head up the long-awaited Namoi Water Study has finally been announced.

The study, which will investigate the potential impacts of coal mining on underground water supplies across the Gunnedah shire, officially moved into the next stage yesterday with the announcement that Brisbane-based firm Schlumberger Water Services has been appointed to conduct the study.

Former NSW Minister for Mineral Resources, Paul McLeay, made the formal appointment of the independent water experts, who will carry out detailed hydrological studies in the Namoi water catchment scheduled for completion in March 2012.

“Schlumberger Water Services is a globally recognised innovator of technologies and solutions in water modelling and is highly regarded within the water industry,” said Mr McLeay before the disgraced MP resigned yesterday.

The tender selection process came under criticism recently after a complaint was made to the Independent Commission Against Corruption however Mr McLeay said “this important appointment came out of a rigorous and thorough evaluation of tenders by an evaluation committee which was overseen, at all stages, by an independent probity auditor.”

Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) Chair John Lyle, and other members of the SAG, met with Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) chair Mal Peters at a meeting at Gunnedah Town Hall yesterday morning to discuss the news.

“It’s a fabulous outcome,” Mr Lyle said.

“It’s been a long process to get here so now lets get on with it.”
Representatives from Schlumberger Water Services, including project manager Sean Murphy and project director Mark Anderson, were also present.

Mal Peters said getting the water study on track has been an ongoing challenge but he is happy things are finally moving forward.

“It has been difficult to get it to this stage but we are now moving ahead,” Mr Peters said.

It has been more than 12 months since the MOC was formed and asked to oversee the proposed water study.

He said the committee will continue to closely monitor the progress of the study and ensure it meets the set-out objectives.

As part of the project a detailed assessment of the potential impacts of mining on the Liverpool Plains region will be undertaken.

The study will include creating a 3-D model of the region’s underground water systems, which will be able to be adjusted as future information is discovered.

An independent website will be established to keep the community informed of the study’s progress through regular updates and monthly reports.

Open meetings will also be held in Gunnedah and Quirindi during the course of the study.