A FINAL report from the state’s peak environmental watchdog into a salty-water spill at a Santos site in the Pilliga is due next week.
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The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is investigating the unintended release of saline water from a flow line at Dewhurst on January 29.
The flow line carries waste water from Santos’s Dewhurst Gas Exploration Pilot Project to its water treatment and storage facility at Leewood.
Santos says no more than three litres of water dribbled from the vent, containing the equivalent of just two or three teaspoons of salt.
EPA northern branch director Gary Davey said the vent had been replaced and Santos was last week granted permission to reopen the flow line.
He said the new vent will be manually operated and is only to remain open when a Santos employee is present to ensure it is operating correctly.
“The EPA has also required Santos to report on the operation of the high-
pressure vent after one month of operation and to promptly report to the EPA any variation from normal operations,” he said.
“The EPA is confident that these measures will prevent a similar incident from reoccurring and the line can be operated in a manner that does not pose a risk to the environment.”
