Metropolitan Coal Project Independent ... - Peabody Energy

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METROPOLITAN COAL PROJECT INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT Area Cliffs and Steep Slopes Rehabilitation Objective and Rehabilitation Management Plan pools and rock-bars. Section 5.2 outlines the rehabilitation objectives and performance indicators for these values. Specifically, Table 11 of the plan identifies that the rehabilitation objective for the area of Waratah Rivulet between the downstream edge of Flat Rock Swamp and the full supply level of the Woronora Reservoir must be rehabilitated such that the project will “restore surface water flow and pool holding capacity as soon as reasonably practicable”. Section 7.2 of the Rehabilitation Management Plan outlines the approach to the rehabilitation of streams, pools and rock-bars. Monitoring performance measures are outlined in Section 8 of the plan. Section 4.3 of the Rehabilitation Management Plan addresses the remediation of cliffs and steep slopes. Section 5.3 outlines the rehabilitation objectives and performance indicators for these values. Specifically, the Project Approval identify that rehabilitation of cliffs should be undertaken “to ensure that there is no safety hazard beyond that existing prior to mining”. Monitoring performance measures are outlined in Section 8 of the plan. Rehabilitation Measures has been limited and localised. Remediation measures associated with subsidence have been carried out using polyurethane (PUR) injection at rock bars (WRS3 and WRS4) in the Waratah Rivulet. For the purposes of completeness, steep slopes have been included in this assessment of terrestrial ecological values as they provide habitat to a number of flora and fauna of conservation significance. Further, in the unlikely event of larger scale slope or cliff failure, dislodged debris has the potential to impact water quality. There have been no impacts to steep slopes or cliffs to date. No remediation works have been required. The rehabilitation strategy and program of rehabilitation monitoring and proposed works is appropriate for the likely impacts of the approved mining activity. However, it is suggested that the wording of the rehabilitation objective in Project Approval Schedule 6 condition 1 that requires the work to restore “ecosystem function, including maintaining or establishing self-sustaining ecosystems” through the use of native plant species on landforms that have been re-contoured, consistent with the surrounding environment”, be reworded or the process for achieving these outcomes be described in the Rehabilitation Management Plan in a manner that is achievable. Suggested action: It is suggested that the condition be reworded or the Rehabilitation Management Plan procedure be modified to include provision for the revegetation of disturbed areas using appropriate local source native seed/plant material and the instigation of a longer term monitoring program that focusses on monitoring self-sustaining biological processes (e.g. flowering, seed set, seed viability, germination and establishment, and generational succession) to determine if they are occurring. If these processes are not seen to be evident in the rehabilitated areas, further investigation into the ecosystem function should be considered. 4.13 Research Program 6 [Project Approval Schedule 3 condition 9] The Research Program developed to satisfy Project Approval Schedule 3 condition 9 was submitted to DoP on 4 November 2010. The Research Program was approved by DP&I on 27 May 2011. 6 Steve Ditton – DgS; Matthew Richardson – Niche Environment and Heritage 31 trevor brown & associates applied environmental management consultants aemc
METROPOLITAN COAL PROJECT INDEPENDENT ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT 4.13.1 Approved Research Program Summary The Research Program (Project Approval Schedule 3 condition 9) comprises three projects that will investigate technical aspects: groundwater, subsidence and Eastern Ground Parrot populations on the Woronora Plateau. The first project is to be undertaken by the Office of Environment and Heritage and will result in the implementation of a targeted regional survey for the Ground Parrot across the Woronora Plateau using bio-acoustic monitoring to assess the presence and size of any populations, and establish their relationship to site attributes. The project will establish long term monitoring sites to assess any impact of long‐wall mining on the species and concurrently assess the status and distribution of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird. This will enable the establishment of a baseline library of digital recordings from swamps across the Woronora Plateau that could be retrospectively analysed for changes in other bird species in the future. The second project entitled “Evaluation of fundamental geotechnical mechanisms contributing to valley closure subsidence effects under irregular topographic conditions” is being conducted under the supervision of Professor Bruce Hebblewhite, University of New South Wales. Professor Hebblewhite is undertaking research in the evaluation of fundamental geotechnical mechanisms contributing to valley closure subsidence effects under irregular topographic conditions. Australia has provided world leadership in identifying the now widely accepted phenomenon of valley closure and related valley floor up-sidence when mining beneath or in close proximity to valleys and other forms of irregular surface topography. Despite being a widely accepted phenomenon the mechanisms remain unclear. The objective of this project is to carry out a comprehensive program of numerical investigations and calibration studies for a range of different parameters, in order to clearly understand the underlying or driving geotechnical mechanisms which cause this behaviour and hence improve the prediction capabilities. In the third project Dr Noel Merrick from Heritage Computing will investigate the role played by chain pillars in isolating groundwater pressure reductions above mined long-wall panels, and whether they might limit the outwards propagation of pressure reductions and environmental effects. The outcomes of this project will be an improved understanding of the significance of chain pillars with respect to alteration of the groundwater regime, a quantitative appreciation of critical pillar widths in absolute and relative terms and a methodology for transferring geotechnical model outputs to groundwater model inputs (permeability fields). 4.14 Subsidence 7 [Project Approval Schedule 3 conditions 3 to 6] 4.14.1 Current Underground Workings In accordance with Project Approval Schedule 3 condition 5, Metropolitan Coal carried out first workings for long-wall 20 underground mining area, consistent with the approved mine plan. Secondary extraction of Long-wall 20 commenced in May 2010 in accordance with the approved mine plan. Long-wall 20 had only retreated 315 m at the end of the first audit period (31/07/10) and was almost complete at the end of the second audit period (31/07/11). Long-wall LW21 commenced in September 2011 and was approximately mid-way along the panel at the time of the Triennial audit field inspection conducted on 31January 2012. 7 Steve Ditton - DgS 32 trevor brown & associates applied environmental management consultants aemc
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