Summary
The conceptual model of causal pathways characterises the causal pathway, the logical chain of events ‒ either planned or unplanned ‒ that link coal resource development and potential impacts on water and water-dependent assets. This section details the specific application to the Cooper subregion of methods described in the companion submethodology M05 (as listed in Table 1) for developing a conceptual model of causal pathways (Henderson et al., 2016). This is the final product for the Cooper subregion from this iteration of the Bioregional Assessment Programme. Due to the limited coal resource development potential, identified in Section 2.3.4, no numerical surface water or groundwater modelling, receptor impact modelling, risk or impact analysis or associated products are being produced for the purposes of the bioregional assessment in the Cooper subregion.
Key concepts and terminology are also explained, and the overall steps are summarised, including the: (i) synthesis of the key system components, processes and interactions for the geology, hydrogeology and surface water of the subregion; (ii) landscape classification; (iii) definition of the coal resource development pathway (CRDP) and additional coal resource development; (iv) identification of potential hazards; (v) identification of potential causal pathways from the coal resource development to hydrological changes; and (vi) characterisation of those potential causal pathways for the Cooper subregion.
This development of causal pathways closely follows the process laid out in the companion submethodology M05, although the understanding of the key system components, processes and interactions was explored with external stakeholders at a workshop in Adelaide in November 2015.