The Queensland government says reports are wrong that it is seeking another review of the impact on groundwater flowing from the Great Artesian Basin to endangered springs to the south-west of Adani's proposed Carmichael coal mine.
Queensland's Department of Environment and Science says it requested further groundwater information from the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia after their reports were provided to the federal government in February 2019.
At the heart of the dispute is a federal government ruling that the impact on the bore water rising from the threatened Doongmabulla Springs – south-west of the proposed mine – cannot be more than 20 centimetres.
In a groundwater study prepared for Eco Logical Australia, the impact on the Doongmabulla Springs – which feed six endangered species – ranges from five centimetres to 19 centimetres.
The federal government commissioned extra groundwater research from CSIRO and Geoscience Australia late last year.
In that February 2019 report, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia raised doubts about the possible impacts on the amount of groundwater flowing from the Great Artesian Basin to the Doongmabulla Springs and on the exact source of the underground aquifer that provides the underground water to the springs.
Brisbane Times on April 11 reported that CSIRO had unresolved questions about the impact on the Doongmabulla Springs, which provide water to a number of endangered flora species.
“A number of limitations were also identified in the proposed monitoring and management approaches indicating they are not sufficiently robust to monitor and minimise impacts to protected environments,” the CSIRO's February 2019 groundwater studies found.
That comment can also be read here on CSIRO's February 2019 report to the federal government's Department of Environment and Energy.
Federal Environment Minister Melissa Price subsequently met with CSIRO and Geoscience Australia before giving federal approval to the proposed mine on April 9.
Adani on Sunday night issued a statement saying Queensland’s Department of Environment and Science (DES) was seeking to further delay finalisation of the Carmichael project’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan (GDEMP), by "once again engaging in a secretive and non-transparent additional review process."
However, Queensland's Department of Environment and Science provided a statement on Tuesday morning saying that was wrong.
"Adani’s claims about DES seeking another review are false," the statement reads.
"The Department of Environment and Science (DES) confirms its earlier public statements that it will not seek its own independent scientific review of Adani’s Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan (GDEMP) but will instead rely on the advice given by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia to the Commonwealth Government," it continues.
The federal environment department did not provide the latest groundwater management plan to the Queensland government until Ms Price approved the mine on April 9.
"DES has now reviewed the groundwater management plan (version 11) and the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia report," the statement continued.
"The department has sought updated advice from CSIRO and Geoscience Australia on the latest version of the groundwater management plan, which is not the version that was reviewed by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia.
"This includes further clarification around the evidence to support identification of the source aquifer(s) of the Doongmabulla Springs Complex."
Queensland's Department of Environment and Science says this information – which concerned CSIRO earlier this year – was important to evaluate.
"This advice will be important in assessing whether the latest version of the groundwater management plan addresses the longstanding conditions set out in the environmental authority requirements."
It says it has requested the information be provided by the CSIRO and Geoscience Australia as quickly as possible.
It reported it has agreed to meet with Adani this week and "set out the timeframes for CSIRO and Geoscience Australia to update their review" following analysis of the latest version of the groundwater management plan and its impact on the Doongmabulla Springs.
However, Adani Mining chief executive Lucas Dow said the department’s request was the latest delay tactic designed to stop construction of the Carmichael Project and "the delivery of thousands of jobs".
The Mackay Conservation Group (MCG) backed the Queensland government asking scientists further questions about Adani’s groundwater plans as a necessary precaution for the protection of precious groundwater resources, including the Great Artesian Basin and the Doongmabulla Springs.