Only a month before the Senate Inquiry into seismic testing to be held on the Central Coast, more concerns have been raised about Centennial Coal’s testing in the waters of Lake Macquarie.
Save Our Coast (SOC) founder, Dr Natasha Deen, said there were concerns about the impact on marine life in the lake because of the first stage of the Centennial survey which has now been completed.
Despite SOC opposition, tests went ahead, although delayed, following community pressure over lack of consultation and awareness, or concern for the lake’s ecosystem.
Dr Deen said Centennial Coal’s own Marine Assessment states that a seismic source of 217 to 227 decibels at 1m, a “sparker” (or plasma sound source), would fire every 0.5 seconds over 4sqkm of Lake Macquarie (extended to 12sqkm).
“The document referred to the process as seismic testing, and the seismic source as an airgun, which had alarmed the local community,” she said.
“Dr Deen said Centennial Coal later retracted its document and released a public notice, after a meeting with locals, stating that there were “inaccuracies” in the marine assessment.
“They said there would be no impact underwater, despite Centennial’s own Marine Assessment stating that underwater sound of over 185 decibels is known to impact on hearing and is known to harm marine life,” she said.
“It is a known scientific fact that underwater noise does have an impact on marine animals and humans, not just impacting on hearing, but causing physical trauma, as recognised by the United Nations and numerous experts, and this is supported by peer reviewed academic scientific literature.
“It is unfortunate that Centennial Coal chose to not only discredit our concerns and the expert science we attempted to present, but chose to attempt to discredit our right to present it, when in fact scientific impacts of underwater noise are stated in their own Marine Assessment document.”
The community had hoped other methods could be employed to ascertain the topography of the 40-50m of rock underlying the lake floor, and of coal seams below this, or that a thorough environmental impact statement process, including thorough community consultation and monitoring, be undertaken.
Even so, SOC claimed a victory in another long campaign against seismic testing when in February, Advent Energy withdrew its application to conduct 3D seismic testing in ocean waters off the Central Coast.
A Senate Inquiry on the Impact of Seismic testing is open for community viewing at Crowne Plaza Terrigal on Tuesday, March 17.
Save Our Coast will be presenting community concerns at 3pm.
Chair of the Senate Inquiry, Senator Peter Whish Wilson, said “what we have here is a multi-trillion dollar industry, an industry that has been exploring for oil and gas for the past 50 years or so, and yet there’s been virtually no scientific research into the effects of seismic testing on marine life and commercial fisheries”.
Senator Whish Wilson will also be the keynote speaker at a community gathering on Monday, March 16, at Umina SLSC at 7pm.
“Until we have legislation in place, we are at the mercy of fossil fuel companies which can request more seismic blasting at any time,” said Dr Deen.
Dr Deen said the Inquiry was long overdue and it finally presented an opportunity for the science and community concerns to be heard.
Source:
Media release, Mar 3, Peter Morris &
Dr Natasha Deen
Save Our Coast
NB: This article has been corrected from the original print edition that had a misattributed quote from the Senator something that was in fact a quote from Dr Deen.