HVO 2009 Annual Environmental Management Report - Final

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Coal & Allied – Hunter Valley Operations 3.15 BUSHFIRE 3.15.1 Environmental Management The Bushfire Management Plan developed in 2003 for all Coal & Allied owned land is updated annually in consultation with SSC and the NSW Rural Fire Service. The main objective of this management plan is to minimise the risk of bushfires and rapidly control outbreaks should they occur in order to: Minimise potential spread of bushfires in and surrounding Coal & Allied mining lease areas; Protect people, property and assets; Protect areas of heritage value; and Protect areas of threatened flora and/or fauna. Control measures undertaken to prevent and control bushfires focus on minimising the amount of fuel available to burn on the mining leases and surrounding land. HVO also has ongoing communication with the NSW Rural Fire Service to keep up to date and receive advice on the appropriate management of the mining leases. The control measures consist of regular slashing of roadsides which are generally used as fire trails, and grazing of rehabilitated mine land and selected non-mine land areas ahead of the mining operations. The grazing land inside the mining leases is identified on the mine site’s Colliery Holding Plan 2 as agreed with the statutory mine manager. All Coal & Allied operations have existing fire control infrastructure with fire fighting equipment at key points, and an emergency response team. In the event of a bushfire, Coal & Allied’s emergency response procedure is triggered. Serious fires that cannot be controlled by on-site resources will be reported to the NSW Rural Fire Service via the 000 telephone number in accordance with Coal & Allied’s procedure for contacting external emergency services. 3.15.2 Environmental Performance There were no bushfires at HVO during the 2009 reporting period. However, a unique opportunity presented in October 2006 in post-mining rehabilitation of West Pit. Arcing from overhead power lines ignited a small grass fire in the rehabilitation which engulfed a small portion of pasture rehabilitation (primarily composed of Rhodes grass and Thistles) and woodland rehabilitation (composed primarily of Acacia saligna and Galenia). At that time, little data had been gathered on Coal & Allied sites on the response of post-mining rehabilitation to fire. A monitoring programme was commenced on 20 October 2006 by ENSR Australia Pty Ltd investigating the following components: Presence and condition of vegetation strata (overstorey, understorey and ground cover); Weed species present; Feral animal activity; Surface stability of the soil including details on erosive processes, run off and soil compaction; Presence of microhabitats including logs, rocks and water bodies; and Presence of disturbance factors including fire, rubbish and unauthorised access. Each of these categories combines to form part of a weighted field sheet which provides individual scores for each category, as well as an overall score for the site. Each of these scores corresponds to a predetermined state of health to indicate the degree of functionality and sustainability of each assessed area. The overall score for each site can be compared against each of the other sites and monitored over time for improvement or decline. Four sites were assessed in the initial phase of the monitoring programme in 2006. The initial results indicated that all sites were in a moderate state of health, regardless of being burnt, and require some degree of land management to improve the overall health status. A study in March 2008 found a limited AEMR 2009 145
Coal & Allied – Hunter Valley Operations improvement across the four sites. Regardless all sites maintained a moderate health status and revealed no further disturbance or evidence of the 2006 fire. Monitoring of the sites will remain an ongoing process. Each site was then ranked according to the above mentioned categories. For woodland sites a score of 95 indicated excellent condition. For pasture sites a score of 70 indicated excellent condition. The scores for pasture sites are lower due to the absence of overstorey and understorey vegetative components. Site one (Burnt pasture) scored 45, a decrease from 53 in 2006. Site two (Burnt woodland) scored 52, a decrease from 66 in 2006. Site three (Unburnt woodland) scored 52, a decrease from 67 in 2006. Site four (Unburnt pasture) scored 43, a decrease from 55 in 2006. All four sites have exhibited a reduction in scores since the 2006 monitoring round, however still fall within the “satisfactory” condition range. Factors which influenced the lower scores include; Increase in introduced species (weeds) across the entire site; Absence of understorey vegetation; and Decrease in ground cover species diversity and abundance. Sites will be re-assessed in 2010 to continue the monitoring programme. 3.16 MINE SUBSIDENCE HVO currently utilise open cut mining techniques that do not result in subsidence of the surface. HVO have no active underground workings. 3.17 HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATION 3.17.1 Environmental Management Management of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil is ongoing at HVO. The current technique employs the use of a bioremediation area that is maintained and operated in accordance with Coal & Allied procedures. Contaminated soil is taken to the bioremediation area and placed in batches based on the time of contamination. To maximise air circulation, contaminated soil is spread out in windrows of no more than approximately 300mm in height and approximately a grader width at the base. Windrows are oriented north south to achieve maximum exposure to sunlight. NPK fertiliser or farm manure is applied to increase the population of degrading bacteria. The windrows are tined by a grader or equivalent on monthly intervals in order to provide aeration for the microbes. Soil in the treatment area is sampled and tested every three months until total hydrocarbon levels are less than 1,000ppm. Soil meeting the criteria may be removed and used for top dressing purposes or disposed of in the spoil dump. 3.17.2 Environmental Performance Bioremediation Area The HVO bioremediation area is monitored for contaminants and turned regularly throughout the year. Test results showed that the hydrocarbon levels in the material improved over the year. Three cells of material were removed from the bioremediation area during 2009 and placed in West Pit for use in future rehabilitation. During 2009, the in pit fuel tankers in West Pit were decommissioned and removed. HVO is currently remediating the site of the old fuel tankers in accordance with the NSW EPA 1994 sensitive land use criteria and will receive a report from external consultants during 2010 regarding the success of the remediation. AEMR 2009 146
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HVO 2009 Annual Environmental Management Report - Final

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