Background review: Co-produced water - risks to aquatic ecosystems

About this document

This review captures the state of knowledge on issues associated with the quantity, quality, timing and potential risks to aquatic ecosystems from co-produced water, including:

• impacts of changed surface water flow regimes and quality due to discharge of treated co-produced water
• existing knowledge, including documentation on environmental impact assessments
• examples of releasing co-produced water into natural flow regimes with a high seasonal variability
• risk management frameworks and their applicability to coal seam gas and coal mining activities
• industry practice in managing co-produced water.