concept EIA-rapport - Staatsolie

SRK Consulting: Project No: 439414 Staatsolie Pipeline EIA – Draft EIA Report Page 54
• Water Quality and Aquatic Ecology – potential deterioration of water quality in the Suriname
River due to disturbance during the construction of drill pads or leaking of drilling mud during
drilling activities, which could result in an impact on aquatic fauna and flora and water users.
6.1.2 Specialist input
A significant amount of information on environmental aspects in the project area is already available
from previous or ongoing studies, including the:
• Suriname River Dredging Project (SRK, 2008);
• EIA undertaken for the Staatsolie Refinery Expansion Project (SRK, 2010);
• Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) for the proposed pipelines (Burger, 2012);
• Feasibility and/or engineering studies undertaken by Staatsolie; and
• Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) of the proposed pipeline route (SRK, 2012).
The additional specialist input that has been undertaken for this EIA is described below:
• Geology and soils: Limited specialist input to confirm the characteristics of the material in which
the pipeline will be installed and the capability of land adjacent to the pipeline route, especially
where the pipeline lies close to the surface and where drill pads will be installed. This information
will also inform the Quantitative Risk Assessment;
• Water quality and aquatic ecology: Limited specialist input to confirm the sensitivity, status
and dynamics of the section of the Suriname River that lies adjacent to the proposed pipeline
route 26 ;
• Terrestrial flora and fauna: Limited specialist input to confirm the sensitivity and status of
vegetation adjacent to the pipeline route, especially where drill pads and laydown areas will be
established, noting that the environment along the proposed route has been severely modified
by human activities; and
• Social: Specialist input to describe the social characteristics of the wider area and the
population that might be affected by the pipeline, both physically through the location of the
pipeline nearby and otherwise through e.g. employment.
A separate QRA is being undertaken for the proposed project. The main findings of that assessment
are reported in the EIA (see Section 6.7); and
SRK has assembled a team of local and international specialists to provide the necessary input, as
indicated in Table 6-1 below.
26 A comprehensive aquatic study is not warranted for this project as:
- The pipelines will not be in direct contact with the river once it has been inserted into the drill hole. Impacts from the
pipelines on the river are thus likely to be limited to the construction phase and can be largely mitigated with good
environmental management;
- The river and its western bank are not pristine environments and have been significantly modified; and
- The tidal nature of the Suriname River frequently flushes the river in this area, minimising the magnitude of standard
project impacts, such as limited siltation during construction.
REUT/DALC 439414_StaatsoliePipelineEIA_Draft EIA Report_Final June 2012