KEILIRA Merino sheep and broadacre farmer Rob England, Shepherds Hill, has listened to State and Federal Government claims that natural gas can become Australia's biggest export within seven years.
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"What that means is we're going to go for short-term gain and put the long-term production for the whole area at risk," he said.
"The coal seam here flows directly over a couple of clay layers and these are aquifers that all the towns in the South East get their water from, including a lot of households and stock in places where there's more saline surface water.
"They could create a leakage in there and mix it, and end up stuffing up the quality of that lower layer, and certainly the pressure will go off it."
Mr England says if the clay layer is ruptured, water will start seeping to the surface and mix with salt water.
"Right now, it's got a positive pressure head, meaning it runs naturally and that's going out over the coal layer," he said.
Mr England said water in the region was already under risk because of cropping and forestry in the recharge area.
*Full report in Stock Journal, June 6 issue, 2013.
