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Bioregional assessments are independent scientific assessments of the potential cumulative impacts of CSG and coal mining developments on water resources and water-dependent assets such as rivers, wetlands and groundwater systems. These regional-scale assessments focus on 13 areas across Queensland, NSW, Victoria and SA where coal resource development is taking place, or could take place.

The assessments rule out areas where impacts on water resources and water-dependent assets are very unlikely (a less than 5% chance). The zone of potential hydrological change (Box 4) identifies where potential impacts cannot be ruled out. Because the models were developed for regional-scale assessments, they do not represent local-scale features, such as local aquitards. Thus results from bioregional assessments flag potentially impacted areas where governments, industry and the community may need to focus their attention and apply local-scale modelling when making regulatory, water management and planning decisions. This may result in substantially lower risks than those predicted by the regional data and models used in bioregional assessments.

The assessments investigate:

The full suite of impacts on water quality is not assessed, but the potential for changes in stream salinity is considered in light of the modelled hydrological changes, salinity hazard mapping and existing regulation and management.

The assessment of the Hunter subregion, which is part of the Northern Sydney Basin Bioregional Assessment, is reported in 12 technical products (Box 2), which are summarised in this synthesis.