The Queensland government has placed a year-long moratorium on new water mines in parts of the Gold Coast hinterland, where drought-hit residents have been campaigning against the impact of the bottled water industry.
Late last year, dozens of bores that supply drinking water to Tamborine Mountain schools, businesses and residents ran dry, with many residents having to wait six weeks for deliveries by truck. The area has three commercial water mines with deep bores that send about 100m litres a year for bottling.
Residents told Guardian Australia last year the situation at Tamborine Mountain had become “dire”.
There is also growing concern about water extraction plans in the Springbrook Plateau, where two large extraction operations have licences and another was recently blocked by the Gold Coast council.
The government’s announcement will prohibit any new commercial bores in the Tamborine Mountain and Springbrook areas for at least the next year.
Most of the groundwater extracted at Tamborine – about 84% – is used by farmers. Farmers and households will be exempt from the moratorium.
“I appreciate that local residents have concerns about the impact of commercial bottling on groundwater resources at Tamborine and Springbrook,” the Queensland natural resources minister, Anthony Lynham, said. “Good decisions are made on the facts, and we need more facts about how much groundwater is being used, and by whom, to get a clearer picture.
“This moratorium will prevent any new developments while the state works with the local councils and the community to identify the best way to manage the areas’ water.”
Under the plan, local businesses and farmers will be required to report their water usage to assist in research.
The concerns of residents have been compounded by a lack of definitive study about groundwater recharge, which would allow authorities to better understand whether underground supplies are replenished through rainfall.
While limited previous research has indicated that commercial water supplies are renewable and the industry is sustainable, the severe impact of the recent drought has highlighted the need for a better understanding of the situation.
A 2011 Tamborine Mountain study by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology found that less than 5% of annual groundwater recharge was being extracted.
The study assessed just 50 bores, in a town where many bores are decades-old or not registered, and estimates of the total vary between 500 and 3,000. It noted that “philosophical questions around commercial sale of groundwater [are] very valid but beyond the scope of this report”.
Last year the Tamborine Mountain state school ran out of water, and the government had to truck bottles to the community. At the same time, water trucks were carrying local water in the opposite direction.