Executive Summary This report and field study was produced as a result of the comments in the Santos 2016 Environmental Impact Statement that “no stygofauna were collected during the sampling regime by Eco Logical” and therefore “there is an uncertainty regarding the presence of stygofauna at the project areas, especially Leewood”. The aim of this report is to provide certainty by demonstrating via a more extensive survey of bores across the Pilliga that stygofauna do indeed exist in the shallow aquifers of the Pilliga Forest, are at risk from the current and proposed future development of Coal Seam Gas production and therefore need to be considered and included in the environmental management program.

The First Edition of this report was presented to the NSW Minster for Water by the NSW Artesian Bore Water Users Association on the 7th November 2014. One of the immediate criticisms of the document was a lack of transparent peer review. In response to this a Revised Edition pas published with clear peer review references and presented to the NSW Minister for Water on 5th December 2014. The Revised Edition was also presented in person to Mr Troy Grant, NSW Deputy Premier in his offices at Dubbo on 19th December 2014.