Please help protect the Limestone Coast from gas fracking by signing the petition letter to the Premier.
Dear Premier,
The South East of South Australia (Limestone Coast) is known for its world famous clean and green produce, including wine, beef, lamb, vegetables, fruit, and crops. Tourism plays an important role, with the UNESCO listed Naracoorte Caves Park, RAMSAR listed Bool Lagoon and Piccaninnie Ponds, the wine trails, beautiful coastal towns, the Blue Lake and other spectacular areas.
The South East makes up 2.2% of the state and contains over 40% of the state’s prime agricultural land. Over $1 billion in food, wine and fibre is produced annually. With significant exports, it is of paramount importance that our ‘clean and green’ image is not compromised by proposed unconventional/conventional gas and mineral mining, which threatens our groundwater, agricultural land productivity and tourism.
We live in the driest state in the driest inhabited continent in the world. The Government released a document “Conserving Nature 2012 – 2020”. ‘Drought conditions are likely to increase in frequency across many parts of South Australia, as a consequence of climate change, particularly in agricultural areas’… Our water is already under severe stress as prolonged dry periods persist in Southern Australia. Our industries and communities are reliant on underground water.
Fracking for shale and tight gas is an extremely water-intensive practice. It requires vast amounts of water and large amounts of chemicals in each fracking operation. Disposal of wastewater from shale and tight gas operations is a serious problem. Shale and tight gas operations can have severe consequences for human and animal health.
The South East’s thin layer of prime agricultural land sits over limestone, which is porous and brittle. The limestone is prone to subsidence and is exacerbated by mining, drilling and fracking. Decline in water levels (such as use for fracking and mining) increase the risk of seawater intrusion.
Drill holes penetrate aquifers and geological formations and are known to break down over time. Casings and cement is no match for geological processes, especially with additional corrosion caused by hydrogen sulfide and anaerobic bacteria. Drilling should never be done in faulted areas for which our region has many.
Healthy water and air is fundamental to our way of life and environment. It underpins our economy and is critical to our region’s future prosperity. Our ground water and food bowl are too precious to gamble with – the science simply does not provide the insurance required to support unconventional/conventional gas and mineral mining.
We, the undersigned, call for a permanent ban on any new unconventional/conventional gas & invasive mining operations in the South East of South Australia (Limestone Coast).
Why is this important?
Limestone Coast Protection Alliance wants to raise awareness amongst all Australians about the dangers and issues involved with mining, drilling and fracking in the South East of South Australia.