Dumping 15m tonnes of salt at Queensland creek 'considerable' risk to water

Study concludes considerable likelihood waste from coal seam gas operations could contaminate Stockyard Creek in headwaters of Murray-Darling Basin

Plans to dump up to 15m tonnes of salt and other waste near a creek in drought-stricken Queensland carry a "considerable" risk of water contamination, a new study has found.

Approved plans to expand a dump near the town of Chinchilla allow salt waste from coal seam gas operations to be stored fewer than 100 metres from Stockyard Creek, in the headwaters of the Murray-Darling Basin.