Environmental Guidelines for Onshore Seismic Operations in Western Australia

A new set of minimum environmental standards to be met by all companies undertaking onshore seismic operations in Western Australia has been issued. These ‘Guidelines for Onshore Petroleum Geophysical Surveying’:

1. recognise the experience gained over 45 years of operations in Western Australian lands;
2. meet current community expectations using today’s methods and technology; and
3. allow for change to acknowledge new information, priorities and technology. Meeting the Guidelines is a condition of undertaking a seismic survey in the state.

While the majority of survey practices to date have been appropriate in environmentally robust areas the Guidelines seek consistently high standards, particularly in more fragile environments. They address the issues of line construction and rehabilitation techniques, and the planning and consultation necessary to enable environmentally sound exploration to be undertaken.

The Department of Mines will implement the Guidelines by educating relevant parties of their existence, by providing survey planning information and by measuring success through discussion and inspection of sites.