November 2004 (PDF 11.6 MB) - Barrick Gold Corporation

Cowal Gold Project – Noise Management PlanTo identify whether “demonstrable disturbance” of bird breeding is taking place, the following two maincomponents of the monitoring programme have been agreed in consultation with the DEC (EPA, pers.comm., 5 June 2003) and NPWS (NPWS, pers. comm., 24 June 2003).1. Continuation of bird breeding monitoring at shore based transects and colonial breeding areas inaccordance with the baseline monitoring programme.2. Specific monitoring of bird breeding behaviour in bird breeding areas during periods of birdbreeding and Project noise emission.These two components will be implemented by a suitably qualified person. Further detail is providedbelow and in the FFMP.The monitoring of blasting effects at the Project on bird breeding is discussed in the BMP. Monitoringof any disturbance to bird breeding is restricted in this NMP to impacts of Project construction andoperation noise emissions. Monitoring of impacts on bird breeding during bird breeding periods will beconducted in addition to noise monitoring at bird breeding areas as identified for Project constructionand operation (Sections 5.2.4 and 7.2.5).In accordance with Section 6.5.5 of the EIS (North Limited, 1998) noise monitoring will be undertakenat the new lake foreshore to assess any impacts on bird behaviour at variance to EIS predictions. Thismonitoring will be undertaken in consultation with the DEC (including NPWS and EPA) once the newlake foreshore rehabilitation is near completion, later in the mine life.8.1.1 Continuation of Long Term Baseline MonitoringBaseline bird breeding monitoring has been conducted at Lake Cowal since 1989. The monitoringprogramme has included examination of bird breeding activity and the assemblage of bird speciesover a whole filling and drying cycle of Lake Cowal from August 1989 to the end of 1997 (EES, 1999aand 1999b). The lake was dry between January and August 1998 and then partially refilled beforedrying out again by January 2002 (Gell, 2002a). Since January 2002, Lake Cowal has remained dryand little bird breeding activity has been observed (Gell, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c and 2003).Monitoring methodology includes (EES, 1995, 1999a and 1999b; Resource Strategies Pty Ltd et al.,1997):1. Waterbird breeding surveys. This includes survey of areas of inundated living Lignum, CaneGrass and River Red Gum stands for breeding colonial waterbirds and incidental observations ofbreeding activity or young birds. In addition, shore based transects are used to count waterbirdabundance. The abundance of birds is assembled from observations of nests, adult birds withyoung and clutches of young and is standardised to a unit equating to the number of nests.2. Collection of environmental data including lake depth, changes in depth, Southern OscillationIndex (SOI), season, and rainfall.3. Statistical analysis to examine variation in the abundance of breeding birds and the mean numberof breeding bird species between years, seasons, lake water cycle and climatic conditions.Results from the surveys include breeding species richness, the spatial location of breeding activityand estimates of the abundance of each species in relation to environmental factors such as lakewater levels and rainfall. This information has been used to date to assess wetland bird speciesbreeding ecology (EES, 1999a and 1999b).HAL-02-07/1/NMP01-P/17/11/04 26 BARRICK