For generations, a Queensland farming family relied on a well that had supplied water for around 140 years. But in 2019, farmer Keogh says the water turned muddy and cloudy after a neighbouring property began test-pumping groundwater. Now, plans for a commercial bottling and processing facility near Warwick have intensified concerns among local farmers, as an existing licence permits the site to extract up to 96 million litres of groundwater a year. More than a dozen farmers are opposing the proposed expansion, fearing it could threaten water supplies and worsen drought conditions. The developer, however, has previously argued that extraction would not affect nearby properties.
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