Water
We are committed to protecting precious groundwater resources in areas where we work.
Responsible water management
Quality groundwater is essential for our farms and communities.
Arrow has a comprehensive groundwater management program in place to ensure we are operating responsibly under the law.
Groundwater is strongly protected by both Queensland and Federal legislation, with natural gas one of the most heavily regulated industries in Australia.
Arrow’s program has three pillars – monitoring and assessment, compliance with strict conditions and regulations, and investment in science.
Mandatory monitoring and assessment
Groundwater monitoring and management
Ground movement monitoring
Baseline bore assessments
Water bore assessments
Compliance with legally binding conditions and requirements
Make Good any water bore impacts
Environmental authority conditions
Underground water management framework
Offset potential impacts to Condamine Alluvium
Gas well integrity standards
Land rehabilitation
Investment in science
In-house team of scientists
Major interconnectivity studies
~$1 million per year in monitoring
Protecting the Condamine Alluvium
The Condamine Alluvium is one of Queensland’s most important underground water resources, supporting farming and local communities.
In 2025, Arrow commenced its Condamine Alluvium Substitution Scheme – an Australian-first approach to sustainable water management.
Under the Scheme, water produced during our natural gas operations is treated and supplied to Western Downs farmers for use on their farms. To receive treated water from Arrow, farmers must stop pumping from the ground while participating in the Scheme.
The Scheme keeps substantial volumes of water in the Condamine Alluvium.
First water was delivered in our Scheme in 2025
Arrow Energy’s Condamine Alluvium Substitution Scheme
How does it work?
The Condamine Alluvium is an important groundwater system for Queensland
The Condamine Alluvium contains thousands of gigalitres of water.
Approximately 30 gigalitres (GL) is extracted for farming and town water every year.
It’s a vital resource we have a strong interest in and a responsibility to protect
Natural gas producers, including Arrow, do not extract from the Condamine Alluvium.
However, some water movement occurs when gas is accessed from the underlying Walloon Coal Measures.
We invest millions in science, sustainability and compliance
This includes two major studies which found there is low connectivity between the Condamine Alluvium and Walloon Coal Measures.
This means, there is little water movement or loss from the Condamine Alluvium as a result of gas production.
Arrow is required to have no net impact on the Condamine Alluvium
It’s a strict condition of our Federal Government project approval that we offset any impact to the Condamine Alluvium.
Over the life of our project, our total water movement is forecast to be 63GL.
We commenced our Condamine Alluvium Substitution Scheme in 2025
Under our Scheme, we supply water to farmers which they use instead of groundwater
Water produced as part of our project is treated to Australian quality standards and supplied to a group of Western Downs farmers for irrigation.
The water supplied by Arrow directly replaces water that would otherwise be extracted from the Condamine Alluvium by participating farmers
To receive water from Arrow, farmers must stop pumping from the Condamine Alluvium while participating in the Scheme
Our Scheme will keep 63GL of water in the ground = the project’s forecast impact
It's an Australian-first solution to sustainable water management
How were participants selected?
- Community committee was formed in 2019 to develop Arrow’s Sscheme.
- Expression of interest and selection processes were held in 2021-22.
- To be eligible, landholders were required to:
– Hold a current alluvium water licence
– Demonstrate a history of alluvium water use
– Be located in an area identified by Qld the Queensland Government.
Our Progress
Our Scheme’s Impact
We began supplying water to Western Downs farmers in 2025, following completion of the first stage of our beneficial water network.
Once fully built, the network will deliver up to 7,000 megalitres of treated water each year, leaving thousands of megalitres of groundwater in the Condamine Alluvium as participants surrender their allocations.
Western Downs farmer Mitch Seis talks about the benefits of the Scheme for his family’s farming operations
megalitres
Treated water delivered to participants
megalitres
Water retained in Alluvium