Scientists who revealed fresh evidence of environmental threats from Adani’s Queensland coalmine have rubbished the company’s claims they are anti-coal campaigners.
The researchers came under attack from Adani over a new study that found the Carmichael mine was “likely” to divert water flows from the nationally important Doongmabulla Springs, which were “more vulnerable to mining impacts than has been previously assumed”.
The paper was published in a peer-reviewed international academic journal and involved two leading academics and a senior scientist at Australia’s nuclear agency.
It traced water sources through radioisotopes and found the springs were fed by “multiple groundwater sources”, with “mine dewatering likely to divert flow away from these springs and reduce discharge”.
Adani, which has claimed the springs have only one groundwater source “entirely separate” to its mine, accused the researchers of bias.
“We completely reject the findings and conclusions drawn in the Journal of Hydrology article, which are contrary to other extensive independent scientific research on the Doongmabulla springs and related groundwater systems,” a spokesman for Adani subsidiary Bravus said.
Researchers Matt Currell, Angus Campbell and John Webb sample a farm bore on Doongmabulla station near the ancient springs. (Supplied)
“Numbers of the authors of the journal article have worked for many years as part of the movement to stop Australia’s coal export industry.
“They actively campaigned against our Carmichael mine before construction even began, and this journal article is their latest tactic to try to leverage trust in academia to discredit our comprehensive groundwater research and monitoring programs and the regulatory framework we comply with.”
The researchers rejected Adani’s claims as baseless slurs.
Matt Currell, a study co-author and expert in hydrogeology at Griffith University, said he was “absolutely not” part of the anti-coal movement and Adani’s claim about the research did not “stack up to scrutiny”.
“If they can find me a piece of research that’s not paid for by their company that contradicts anything we said, and that is in a proper peer-reviewed international outlet, then I’m happy to read it and consider it,” Professor Currell said.
“But there’s nothing out there.”
Asked what independent research the company was referring to, the Bravus spokesman said “all the studies that informed and were required for our approvals and those that have been done subsequently as required by the conditions of those approvals and other regulations”.
Asked if the company could provide the ABC with any of these studies, he said: “We have nothing further to add to our statement.”
The Doongmabulla Springs are nationally important wetlands west of the Carmichael mine. (Supplied)
The co-author on the new academic research, Monash University’s Ian Cartwright, said the research had taken more than three years, and gone through a year of peer review before publication.
“It’s not like we rushed it out into some marginal journal,” Professor Cartwright, a leading figure in geochemistry, said.
Their co-authors were Dioni Cendon, a hydro geochemist at Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), and doctoral researcher Angus Campbell.
Researcher Angus Campbell takes a water sample. (Supplied)
The study was part of a project funded by a $340,000 grant from the federal government’s Australia Research Council (ARC).
It was also funded by an organisation linked to an environmental campaigner who has spearheaded legal challenges to the Adani mine.
Derec Davies, the president of Business Services of Coast and Country Incorporated, a non-profit natural resources management consultancy, said it contributed about $349,000.
He said most of this was “in-kind” support, such as access to radio networks and transport, and his role, was helping the researchers access sample sites via Coast and Country’s landholder clients.
Griffith University Professor Matt Currell says the research shows the Adani mine poses a “huge risk” to the Doongmabulla Springs. (Supplied)
Professor Currell said the mining company “can’t use that to smear our credentials as proper academic researchers”.
He said the ARC was “the most prestigious funding source that you can get as a researcher here in Australia”.
The researchers also approached Adani about collaborating early in the project but were “pretty much rebuffed”, he said.
‘Signature’ of 500,000-year-old water
The source of the Doongmabulla Springs has remained in question since the Queensland government waived its requirement that Adani find a definitive answer before the mine was approved in 2019.
Adani insisted the sole source was an underground aquifer called the Clematis Sandstone — a conclusion that federal science agencies doubted.
Just in case, the miner was prohibited from draining spring water levels by more than 20 centimetres.
Professor Cartwright said the isotopic tracing was a “new approach” that provided “a bit more certainty of where the water in the springs comes from”.
Researchers analysed isotopes in water to trace the sources of the Doongmabulla Springs, near the Adani mine in central Queensland. (Supplied)
Naturally occurring isotopes in the water, such as tritium, carbon 14 and chloride 36, allowed the researchers to generate a chemical “signature”.
Professor Currell said it was “almost like forensic type work where you’re trying to ‘fingerprint’ the water in this spring, which could be coming from close or far or shallow or deep”.
Analysis of the samples at ANSTO showed some of the water was up to 500,000 years old.
Professor Cartwright said there was no evidence of water that age within the Clematis Sandstone.
This meant the water in the springs “can’t all come from the Clematis” as claimed by Adani, he said.
This pointed to “water probably coming from one of the deeper aquifers… including possibly some of the deeper formations” in the coal seam targeted by Adani.
Professor Currell said this ancient water was surprisingly “drinkable”.
“The thing we can’t believe is just how incredibly fresh and pure that water stays even after residing in the aquifer for so long,” he said.
Scientists analysed radioisotopes to trace water sources of the Doongmabulla Springs. (Supplied)
Risk to springs ‘underestimated’
Professor Currell said three springs close to the mine along the Carmichael River also contained “much younger water”.
This appeared to be “flowing through shallower units close to the mine site … and obviously part of the unit that’s being excavated in the mining operations”, he said.
The paper concluded that with water flows “likely” to have come from aquifers within the mine’s footprint, the springs were “more vulnerable to mining impacts than has been previously assumed”.
Researchers found the Doongmabulla Springs contained water up to 500,000 years old. (Supplied)
Professor Currell said he thought there was “a really important point here about needing to set the bar high for a level of understanding of these kinds of really significant spring systems and groundwater dependent ecosystems — prior to giving the green light to a mine that’s big in scale [and] developing very rapidly”.
“There’s a huge risk here.
“We’re potentially playing catch up and allowing environmental damage to happen with limited ability to bring things back and remediate things once that damage is done.”
The Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) said it recognised “the cultural and environmental significance of the Doongmabulla Springs Complex and are committed to ensuring its protection”.
A spokesperson said the regulator would “of course take [the new research] into consideration”.
“Timely provision of emergent information ensures the regulator can properly consider any implications,” it said.
“This consideration will inform the adaptive management approach and support assessment of any changes that may be required to ensure the maximum environmental protection of the springs.”
Researchers analysed isotopes in water to trace the sources of the Doongmabulla Springs near the Adani mine in central Queensland. (Supplied)
‘Work that government and mining companies don’t do’
Martin Anderson, a leading expert in isotopes and hydrogeology from the University of New South Wales who was not involved in the research, said he had read the paper and believed it was “a very solid piece of work”.
“It’s really important work because this is the type of stuff that government and the mining companies don’t do,” he said.
“What Matt and his colleagues here are attempting to do is use a bunch of methods that tell us more about what the sub surface is doing, how things are connected, how a recharge area might be connected to a set of springs.
“And so they’re providing deeper insights into how the environment operates and what might be the impacts and implications if certain projects go ahead.”
Researchers Angus Campbell and Matt Currell take samples as part of their investigation into the sources of the Doongmabulla Springs. (Supplied)
Dr Anderson said he wondered “on what grounds” Adani dismissed the work.
“What data and evidence do they have that allow them to reject this work?” he said.
“Or are they rejecting it on a more sort of principle grounds of certain methods not being applicable or not working for either certain questions or certain problems? But I don’t believe that’s the case.”
‘Risks’ from current mining
The ABC understands Adani is expected to do its own isotopic tracing to help convince the state government it can reliably predict future impacts on the springs.
The miner has been given until the end of 2025 to revise its groundwater modelling, which the CSIRO last year deemed “not fit for purpose”.
Scientists analysed radioisotopes to trace water sources of the Doongmabulla Springs. (Supplied)
This prompted the state government to slap Adani with an environmental protection order against future underground mining at Carmichael.
Adani is appealing the order in Queensland’s Planning and Environment Court.
Professor Currell said there were “absolutely” risks to the springs from Adani’s current open cut mining, which produces about 10 million tonnes of coal a year for overseas power stations.
“I understand the levels of drawdown of groundwater and the levels of excavation into the aquifer system are really considerable … we’re talking hundreds of metres of drawdown in the aquifer system,” he said.
“And yes, the drawdown and the modifications to the hydro geological regime proposed with that open cut mining are affecting all these same units that we’re talking about in the research as potential source aquifers for the spring.”
The Bravus spokesman said the miner would “work closely with regulators to ensure we comply with our environmental conditions and regulations as mining continues safely and responsibly”.
Earlier this year, Professor Currell cited evidence of potential contamination of some springs by hydrocarbons “likely associated with coal material”.
Traditional owners relied on the findings to take the state environment department to court, alleging it breached their human rights by failing to stop potential contamination of their sacred springs.
Adani rejected the contamination claims, saying the hydrocarbons came from “casing materials for water sampling wells”.
The regulator has said that based on monitoring data from Adani, there was no evidence of any harm to the springs.
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