Bureaucrat stood down over carcinogenic …
Bureaucrat stood in a descending course over carcinogenic waterA Queensland Government official has been stood aside conducive to not acting sooner on concerns about water contamination caused by an underground coal gasification trial in state’s South Burnett region.
Cougar Energy has been ordered to coop up down its underground coal gasification trial at Kingaroy and landholders in the territory have been told not to use bore water pending test results.
The set detected carcinogenic chemicals, benzine and toluene, in monitoring bores in April but did not notify the department until the end of June.
The Queensland Government has promised a well stocked investigation into the water contamination at the South Burnett gas bulge.
The company cannot reopen its operation until further tests are conducted.
The Government says the reverent levels of benzine and toluene do not pose a health endanger, but nearby property owners are being told not to drink tire out water.
Energy Minister Stephen Robertson says other bores in the territory will be tested.
“What I want to do is assure landholders and the common more generally that we will leave no stone unturned in stipulations of investigating the discovery of these chemicals in the water furnish,” he said.
DERM director-general John Bradley says the company took moreover long to report the test results.
Residents were not told until last night and Mr Bradley says a departmental officer has been stood away for not acting sooner.
“They were looking at levels that were below Australian drinking water guidelines and I think they have taken that into register,” he said.
“Nevertheless our commitment is to make sure that we’ve transparency in connection to any exceedence or detection in relation to these kinds of chemical compounds.
“We be favored with stood the officer aside.”
DERM has asked Carbon and Linc Energy to besides carry out an environmental evaluation their Dalby and Chinchilla operations.
Carbon spokesman Andrew Dash says they will cooperate.
“It certainly won’t vary our operation,” he said.
But Kingaroy resident Wendy Buttsworth says locals require been vindicated.
“Obviously our concerns have been well founded,” he before-mentioned.
DERM officers are currently in Kingaroy talking to residents.
Cougar Energy has been contacted concerning comment.
- Reporting by Fidelis Rego, Melinda Howells and Andree Withey