Every which way you look at it - water is life. Every cell of every thing needs water. 

In Queensland we experience water in every form, from the very wet to the very dry but wherever you are, water is life. However, in the twists and turns of the Stop Adani campaign the issue of water is sometimes forgotten. 

Our water is our lifeblood in Queensland and that's why so many people took action at the Walk for Water on the 16th of June and are signing the pledge calling for the cancellation of Adani's water licences. 

Adani's Carmichael mine will drain at least 270 billion litres of groundwater over the life of the mine - that's four Sydney Harbours! Lock the Gate brought water management expert Tom Crothers to Mackay to explain the impacts that the mine could have on not only local landholders in the Galilee Basin, but to all those who rely on the Great Artesian Basin. 

The drain on Qld water resources is just the beginning. The really concerning part is the lack of research that has been conducted to estimate the likelihood of damage to aquifers, sediment layers and neighbouring springs and therefore the impacts on water resources that regional communities desperately rely on in times of drought. 

That's why a Motion of intent was passed by the crowd, calling on the Qld Government to cancel Adani's Water licence, so that precious regional water resources are protected. 

You can also sign the pledge which will be sent to Premier Palaszczuk and other ministers.

Keep reading to find out more about how Adani's mine threatens Qld's vital water resources.

World Water Day is a day to celebrate a truly precious resource and a day to learn more about how we can protect it. 

This year the group focused on groundwater and in particular the potential impacts of opening up the Galilee Basin to mining. 

Just this week a study was released with information suggesting that Adani's Carmichael mine could threaten the existence of the ecologically and culturally significant Doongmabulla Springs. 

Read more about the report here.

The springs are home to a number of endemic species, that would face extinction if the springs were sucked dry. 

A group of dedicated volunteers waded deep into Adani's murky water licence and the predicted threats to groundwater on World Water Day and will take this information to the wider community. Read on for access to some great information resources. 

The Adani coal mine puts at risk water resources that are the lifeblood of Central Queensland.

Don’t stand by and watch Adani rob us of life-giving water.

Sign the pledge to the Queensland Premier, Minister for Natural Resources and Mines and Minister for Environment.

Urannah dam has created many jobs over the years but only in the economics and engineering community. Over the past 50 years 18 studies have been undertaken into the feasibility of the dam by both government and non-government organisations. They have all concluded the same thing, the dam doesn't stack up. So we were surprised when the Federal Government floated the idea it would fund another $3 million feasibility study into the dam.

That feasibility study appears to be going nowhere. Media reports late last year indicate that the consortium that has been awarded the funding is wracked with infighting over how the money would be allocated so no work has been done. The Queensland Government has proposed that the money should be allocated to Sunwater. But when Sunwater last investigated Urannah dam it found the dam to be uneconomic.

Background

The proposed Urannah Dam is located within the Bowen and Broken River catchments, 95km north-east of Mackay adjacent to Eungella National Park. If it went ahead it would be built on land that is currently leased by the Queensland Government to the Urannah Properties Association. It is subject to a native title claim registered by the Widi people in 2006, which covers an area of approximately 5,400 square kilometres. The dam site contains important initiation grounds among other cultural heritage values. The Widi people continue to campaign strongly to retain their native title rights over the land. 

Economic analysis

Constructing Urannah Dam has been estimated to cost between $250 and $300 million. In 2016 Mackay Conservation Group engaged an engineer, Thomas Williams, to undertake a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) of Urannah Dam. He determined that the dam would be uneconomic as it would return only $0.75 for every $1.00 invested. He found that there are cheaper ways to provide water for industrial purposes in the Galilee and Bowen Basins.

Last week we premiered the brand new #StopAdani documentary A Mighty Force. With a combined membership of around two million people, the movement to stop Adani's unbankable mine will continue to grow and shift the politics on coal. 

At the Mackay premiere of the Stop Adani documentary, A Mighty Force, local cane grower Michelle Ready explained to locals why she is so passionate about stopping Adani's mega-mine. 

My name’s Michelle and I’m a farmer’s wife.  I’m not an expert by any means, but I’ve taken time to do the research and have spoken with many, better informed people, including farmers who are at the coal face, so to speak.  The farm we’re on has been in my husband’s family around 60 years, and we wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for the groundwater.  It provides all our domestic needs.  On the farming side however, we’re lucky to have limited access to the creek, when the rains fail to come.

But there are farmers who aren’t as lucky as us, whose only reliable source is groundwater from the Galilee Basin, part of the Great Artesian Basin.  Out there, at the Carmichael mine site, groundwater is everything, and it absolutely defies belief that our elected officials have decided to give it away, free and unlimited amounts of it, to a company with the most atrocious history of environmental degradation.

Coal mines require enormous amounts of water.  I remember years ago hearing that wars would be fought over water, and I thought at the time, “no way there’s so much water, what’s the problem”.  I was wrong.  Farmers are the first to feel the effects of drought, and climate change, yet eventually everyone will.  Look at Cape Town. Broken Hill.

Stop Adani Mackay and the Mackay Conservation Group joined groups from across Australia in a #waterislife roadside protest last weekend. 

In drought stricken Queensland, water is one of our most precious resources, and the Adani Carmichael mine directly threatens the water sources that thousands of farmers and regional communities rely on. 

With a track record of environmental destruction in India, the Adani company cannot be trusted with our water. 

Water is life - and Mackay locals are going to keep fighting to protect Queensland's water!

If you would like to keep up to date with Stop Adani Mackay, like their Facebook Page or contact Maggie on 0434837774 or by emailing [email protected] 

Today, we are celebrating World Sea Turtle Day! These beautiful reptiles have nested on parts of the Queensland coast for thousands of years, so of course they deserve their own day dedicated to their magnificence!

Mackay is fortunate enough to have turtle nesting and hatching occurring right on its doorstep. Throughout the region, the main species of sea turtle nesting on the mainland is predominantly the Flatback turtle, observed from Seaforth to Armstrong Beach. The Green and Loggerhead species have also been recorded laying on local beaches, however these observations are in much smaller numbers.

Although, sea turtles have survived in the oceans for over 100 million years, at present, all Marine turtles around the world are recognised as a being of conservation concern. Australia is home to six of the seven species of marine turtles, including the Green, Flatback, Hawksbill, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley turtles - all of which are currently classified as either vulnerable or endangered. Additionally, Australia has some of the largest marine turtle nesting areas in the Indo-Pacific region, and has the only nesting population of Flatback turtles in the world, so we urgently need to take care of them.

Despite the fact that the Australian coal trade has moved on average 360 million tonnes of coal annually over the past 8 years, there has been very little research into the effects of coal in waterways and the ecosystems they support.

Although coal is a naturally occurring mineral, the chemical structure of coal often contains a range of nasty pollutants, including uranium, thorium, arsenic, mercury, lead and other elements that are also toxic at low concentrations.  Although these issues are yet to be examined carefully there is some solid scientific basis for concern of coal chemically polluting our waterways.

A major threat posed by coal spills into water bodies is also the physical implications, with the simple presence of coal dust shown to cause ecological harm. Coal contaminated seawater can kill corals and slow down the growth rate of sea grass and fish.  Coastal mangrove systems are also vulnerable with coal cover impairing the ability of the trees to photosynthesize, in turn affecting the food cycle and therefore the populations of various species that engage with these environments.

Adani is actively hiding the truth about its coal-pollution of the Caley Valley Wetlands that occurred during Cyclone Debbie, says Mackay Conservation Group’s Coordinator who last week visited the area, accompanied by independent and government scientists and departmental staff, at the invitation of the office of the Queensland Environment Minister Mr Steven Miles.

Coordinator of the Mackay Conservation Group, Mr Peter McCallum said,  “Last week we observed coal pollution in the sediment in the sensitive Caley Valley Wetlands, on the edge of the wetlands and on the floor of the wetlands, and in the area close to the spillway where the discharge occurred from the secondary settlement pond.

“Unfortunately, the site visit was very tightly managed by Adani and North Queensland Bulk Ports to stop us gathering photographic evidence, despite an assurance before the visit that we would be able to take photos and collect samples.

“NQBP staff told us on entry that we could not take photos, collect samples or leave the group to explore the site. They warned that if we breached these conditions we’d be immediately escorted off the site and deposited alone, on the side of the isolated Bruce Highway.