Understanding the public’s response towards ‘enhanced water recovery’ in the Great Artesian Basin (Australia) using the carbon capture and storage process

Witt, Katherine; Ferguson, Michele; Ashworth, Peta

Understanding the public’s response towards ‘enhanced water recovery’ in the Great Artesian Basin (Australia) using the carbon capture and storage process | Appréhension des réactions du public envers ‘l’amélioration de la récupération de l’eau’ dans le Grand Bassin Artésien (Australie) par le procédé de capture et de stockage du carbone Visión de la respuesta pública hacia una “recuperación mejorada del agua” en la Gran Cuenca Artesiana (Australia) utilizando el proceso de captura y almacenamiento de carbono 利用碳捕集与封存过程了解公众对大自流盆地(澳大利亚)“提高水恢复率”的反应 Entendendo a resposta do público à ‘recuperação aprimorada da água’ na Grande Bacia Artesiana (Austrália) utilizando o processo de captura e armazenamento de carbono

2020

Witt, Katherine | Ferguson, Michele | Ashworth, Peta

Groundwater resources in Queensland (Australia) have been depleting in many aquifers for the last 100 years and natural recharge processes are not replenishing these resources at the rate of extraction. At the same time, the need to address carbon emissions to reach global climate-change targets is becoming increasingly recognised. Plentiful deep fresh groundwater is available but is difficult, and typically uneconomical, to access due to the high costs of borehole drilling and completion. The emerging concept of ‘enhanced water recovery’ (EWR) hypothesises that carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection into the deep aquifers will increase pressure, making groundwater more easily available at shallower depths across a broad region while simultaneously contributing to a reduction in CO₂ emissions. One example where this has been proposed is in the Great Artesian Basin’s Surat Basin in Queensland. The findings from a series of focus groups held with different stakeholders, including agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents, demonstrate how different groups perceived the risks and benefits of injecting CO₂ as part of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) process to raise borehole water levels. The paper discusses the trade-offs that the different stakeholder groups found more acceptable. The significance of this research is that it will be the first to publish public responses to an emerging technology that has the potential to provide multiple benefits in terms of climate-change mitigation and groundwater use.

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