Southern Cross Operations Annual Environmental Report 2008 - 2009
Southern Cross Operations Annual Environmental Report 2008 - 2009
Southern Cross Operations Annual Environmental Report 2008 - 2009
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<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong><strong>2008</strong>/09 <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong>PREPARED BY:Luc Cotte and Amine FisherAUTHORISED BY:Kerry PayneDATE: 30 October <strong>2009</strong>St Barbara Limited<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>PMB 10SOUTHERN CROSS WA 6426Telephone: (08) 9081 1300Facsimile: (08) 9040 1104
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>8.4 Department of Mines and Petroleum ....................................................................628.5 Technical <strong>Report</strong>s ................................................................................................629. Other Site and Corporate Initiatives.............................................................................649.1 Energy Efficiency Opportunities............................................................................649.2 Water Efficiency Management Plan (WEMP) .......................................................6410. Future Activities ............................................................................................................6710.1 Exploration ...........................................................................................................6710.2 Mining...................................................................................................................6710.3 Processing............................................................................................................67II
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 6-3: Rehabilitated Marcasite Stockpile Area ................................................28Figure 6-4: Topsoil Stockpile Prior to Removal and Capping of Batters..................29Figure 6-5: Completion of Topsoil Sheeting on Batter of GVG TSF1......................29Figure 6-6: Profiled and Topsoil Sheeted Batters of Norton Waste Dump ..............31Figure 6-7: Side-Casting Topsoil onto Kurrajong Waste Dump...............................32Figure 6-8: Rehabilitated Haul Road Linking Kurrajong and Nevoria......................32Figure 7-1: Current Structure of the <strong>Environmental</strong> Function at SXO .....................33Figure 7-2: Breakdown of <strong>Environmental</strong> Incidents - July <strong>2008</strong> to June <strong>2009</strong>.........34Figure 7-3: Marvel Loch TSF and Monitoring Bore Locations. ................................43Figure 7-4: Groundwater Levels of Bores at the Marvel Loch TSF .........................46Figure 7-5: Vegetation Mapping and Priority Flora at Axehandle Achilles...............50Figure 7-6: Vegetation Mapping and Priority Flora at Edwards Find.......................51Figure 7-7: Vegetation Mapping and Priority Flora at Kurrajong .............................52Figure 7-8: Tree-Stem Trapdoor Spider (Aganippe castellum) Burrows fromBurbidge (top) and Edwards Find. Photo: Patrick Cullen & Peter Langlands.........55Figure 7-9: Feral Cats Trapped in One Morning .....................................................56AppendicesAppendix 1Appendix 2Appendix 3Appendix 4Appendix 5Appendix 6Appendix 7Appendix 8TableSite PlansTenement Data SheetsTailings Storage Facility Data SheetsWaste Landform Data SheetsSurface & Groundwater Monitoring DataBanker Lake Photo MonitoringTailings Storage Audit & Management Review<strong>Environmental</strong> Protection Act Licence 4597/12 & ComplianceIV
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>OWNERS:St Barbara Limited(except where indicated as Joint Ventures or “JV”)OPERATOR:St Barbara Limited1205 Hay StWEST PERTHCOMMODITY:Au – GoldPREPARED BY:Luc Cotte and Amine FisherAUTHORISED BY:Kerry Payne – General Manager<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>REPORTING PERIOD: 1 July <strong>2008</strong> – 30 June <strong>2009</strong>DATE: 30 October <strong>2009</strong>DISTRIBUTION: St Barbara Ltd – Perth (1)St Barbara Ltd – <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> (1)Department of Mines & Petroleum– Perth (2)Department of Environment and Conservation – Kalgoorlie (1)Department of Environment and Conservation – Merredin (1)Department of Environment and Conservation – Kensington (1)Shire of Yilgarn (1)Central West Goldfields People (1)Gubrun People (1)Ballardong People (1)SUBMITTED BY:Luc Cotte – <strong>Environmental</strong> Coordinator (SXO)V
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Executive SummaryThis <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong> (AER) summarises the operational andenvironmental activities at St Barbara Limited’s (St Barbara) <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong><strong>Operations</strong> (SXO) for the period 1 July <strong>2008</strong> to 30 June <strong>2009</strong>. The report has beenprepared to meet the annual reporting requirements for the Department of Minesand Petroleum (DMP) and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). Italso serves as an information document for other key stakeholders.In order to simplify reporting over SXO’s 361 tenements, projects have beenclassified as ‘active’ or ‘inactive’. Discussion in this report focuses on activeprojects. For the reporting period, the projects listed in Table 1-1 are deemed to beactive.Table 1-1: Projects and Activities Undertaken in <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong>ProjectActivity UndertakenAxehandle - AchillesBronco SouthEdwards Find/Edwards Find NorthGrand NationalGreat Victoria (GVG) areaGreenmountJaccolettiMarvel LochMistral/PakistaniNevoria Group (including Kurrajong)ResurrectionRuapehuTenacious PigTransvaal GroupExplorationRehabilitationExplorationMiningRehabilitationExplorationExplorationExploration, mining, processing,dewateringMiningExploration, mining, dewatering,rehabilitation, feasibilityMining & explorationExploration & rehabilitationSterilisationExploration, mining & sterilisationDuring <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong>, SXO mining operations produced 2.12 million tonnes of orefrom the Marvel Loch Underground and satellite open pits. The open pit operationssourced ore from Norton, Grand National, Pakistani, Kurrajong, Resurrection, andMercury.The Marvel Loch processing plant had a throughput of 2.23 million tonnes of ore,producing 156,105 ounces of gold. Tailings were deposited into the tailings1
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>storage facility (TSF) at Marvel Loch. During the review period, embankment raisingworks were undertaken on Cell TSF 2 from 1,034.5 mRL to 1,037.0 mRL and CellTSF 2E (Extension) from 1,032.5 mRL to 1035.0 mRL.Rehabilitation activities continued to exploit synergies with surface miningoperations, with significant rehabilitation works conducted at Nevoria, GVG andBronco South. Major profiling works were undertaken on the Norton waste dump(Nevoria TSF) and rehabilitation was completed on the Kurrajong waste dump,haul road and ROM pad. For the year, 51.6 ha of new earthworks on open areaswere completed and 17.0 ha of seeding was conducted on new rehabilitation.Capping of small areas of exposed batters on GVG TSF1 and TSF2 was alsocompleted and reactive stockpiles were removed and encapsulated. Capping tostabilise dispersive material exposed on the Bronco South waste dump was alsocompleted during the year.SXO operates under a number of tenement conditions and <strong>Environmental</strong>Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) Licence 4597/12. During the year, excursions fromrequirements were identified relating to condition W4(a) of EP Act Licence4597/12.There was one saline water spill, a process water spill and a technical breach ofthe embankment freeboard during the year of which St Barbara notified DEC andDMP. One incident of unauthorised abstraction of alluvial material at New ZealandGully was also reported. The process water spill was contained within secondarycontainment where it was captured and pumped back into the milling circuit. Thesaline water spill at the Jaccoletti/Panizza borefield which occurred along FrogRock Road was contained within existing roadside drainage without impact tovegetation or agricultural land.There were several highlights for the year including:• Commencement of mining at Kurrajong, Pakistani, Mercury (Transvaal) andResurrection (Burbidge area);• Comprehensive short-range endemic invertebrate fauna survey of the MarvelLoch region ;• Completion of reshaping earthworks and capping of the GVG TSF 1-3;• Removal and encapsulation of reactive marcasite stockpiles at GVG;• Completion of primary earthworks, capping and seeding of the Kurrajongwaste dump; and2
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>• Seeding of the Kurrajong ROM and haul road.A disturbance and rehabilitation reconciliation has been calculated for the year andis summarised in Table 1-2.3
Table 1-2: Disturbance and Rehabilitation Summary<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong><strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> CumulativeYears Prior to this AER PeriodThe Current AER PeriodClearing Disturbance TotalRehabilitation Stage (ha) TotalRehabilitation Stage (ha)Disturbance Type (ha) (ha)Disturbance0 1 2 3 4Disturbance0 1 2 3 4Open Pit, U/G Mines & Vent shaftsand Abandonment Bunds10 544 534 534 0 0 0 0 21 10 0 0 0 0Tailings Storage Facilities 0 380 380 202 0 10 83 40 0 0 0 6 0 0Heap/Vat Leach 0 22 22 11 3 4 4 0 0 0 0 3 0 0Evaporation Dams/Turkeys Nests 0 11 11 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0ROM pads/Low Grade Stockpiles 1 42 41 23 0 13 7 0 14 3 0 2 5 0Plant sites and mining infrastructureincluding workshopsHypersaline pipelines(>15,000 TDS) /Haul roadsFresh water pipeline corridors(
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>1. IntroductionThis <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong> (AER) summarises the operational andenvironmental activities associated with St Barbara Limited’s (St Barbara) <strong>Southern</strong><strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> (SXO) for the period 1 July <strong>2008</strong> to 30 June <strong>2009</strong>. The report hasbeen prepared to meet the annual reporting requirements for both the Department ofMines and Petroleum (DMP) and Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC).St Barbara currently has mining and exploration tenements covering approximately5,000 km 2 in the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> region of Western Australia. The township of<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> is located 375 km east of Perth and 235 km west of Kalgoorlie on theGreat Eastern Highway. The administrative centre for SXO is located at Marvel Loch,some 32 km south of <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong>. SXO tenements are predominately located inthe Shire of Yilgarn, with several tenements overlapping into the Shires of Kondinin,Lake Grace and Kulin.In the <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> reporting period, the major ore sources were the Marvel Lochunderground mine, and open pits at Norton, Kurrajong, Pakistani, Resurrection, GrandNational and Mercury.1.1 Brief HistoryThe <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> region has a long history of gold mining and exploration.Prospectors first discovered gold in the district in 1887 north of Bullfinch. The firstsignificant mine was developed at Fraser’s following its discovery in 1888. Gold wasalso discovered near Burbidge in the late 1890s, resulting in the development of minesat Grand National and Great Victoria (GVG) in 1906 and 1907 respectively.Discoveries at Nevoria, Marvel Loch, Bullfinch and Westonia occurred between 1905and 1910. Mines were developed on a number of deposits in the following decadesbefore declining in 1941 because of World War II.After the war, Western Mining Corporation formed Great Western Consolidated todevelop its leases in the area. This saw mining recommence at Copperhead(Bullfinch), Corinthia, Golden Pig, Frasers and Nevoria with ore processed at theBullfinch mill. Great Western Consolidated produced over 650,000oz of gold in theperiod 1952 to 1966 before being wound up in 1970.The increase in gold price and the advent of carbon in pulp/carbon in leach (CIP/CIL)processing led to increased gold mining and exploration activities in the belt by theearly 1980’s. A range of companies were involved in open pit mining at Marvel Loch,Transvaal, Nevoria, Great Victoria, Frasers, Westonia and other deposits from the mid-5
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>1980’s to early 1990’s. Sons of Gwalia Limited consolidated ownership of tenementsin the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> region through the acquisition of the Marvel Loch and <strong>Southern</strong><strong>Cross</strong> mines as well as companies such as Burmine, Orion Resources and 50% shareof Gascoyne Gold Mines in the mid 1990’s. Over subsequent years, processingfacilities were rationalised from five facilities (Bullfinch, <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> [Cornishman],Marvel Loch, the Star Mill [GVG] and Nevoria) to one plant located at Marvel Loch witha strategy of exploring and mining satellite deposits, to support the main operation atMarvel Loch.1.2 Government ApprovalsMining and processing activities within SXO are principally required to comply with theprovisions of the Mining Act 1978 and <strong>Environmental</strong> Protection Act 1986 (andassociated regulations) in addition to other legislation. Changes to the current andfuture planned activities within the operation require environmental assessmentthrough the Mining Proposal process, administered by DMP.SXO operates under a single <strong>Environmental</strong> Protection Act 1986 (EP Act) Licence4597/12, which covers all prescribed premises activities. A summary of the EP ActLicence conditions and St Barbara’s compliance with these conditions is provided inAppendix 8. Table 1.3 lists the current prescribed activities associated with the licence.Table 1-3: EP Act Licence Activities and Assocciated Licence LimitsCategoryNumberCategory NameLicence Limits5 Processing and Beneficiation 2,600,000 tonnes /annum6 Mine Dewatering 4,300,000 kL / annum64 Class II and III PutrescibleWasteLess than 5,000tonnesA summary of the recent approvals for SXO is provided in the following sections.6
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong><strong>Environmental</strong> Approvals GrantedMining Proposals/Letters of Intent (LOI)• LOI - Rehandle of Cornishman ROM Stockpiles;• Transvaal Gold Mine Mercury Pit – Resumption of Mining at the Mercury OpenPit – Mining Proposal Amendment• Resurrection Mining Proposal• Nevoria West Mining Proposal (Withdrawn)• Bottledump Open Pit Mining Proposal• Nevoria Underground (Mining of Deep Ores at Nevoria) Mining ProposalAmendment• Kurrajong Open Pit (Resumption of Mining at Kurrajong Open Pit) MiningProposal AmendmentWorks Approvals• Works Approval 3826 - Notification to Raise Marvel Loch Tailings StorageFacility Cell TSF2 by 2.5m (1035.0 mRL to 1037.5 mRL) & TSF2E Extensionby 5m (1032.5 mRL to 1037.0 mRL).Clearing PermitsNo clearing permit applications were lodged with the DEC.ExplorationNo approvals for exploration activity were sought during <strong>2008</strong>/09.Approvals Required During <strong>2009</strong>/2010 <strong>Report</strong>ing PeriodThe following approvals may be required during the <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> reporting period.Mining Proposals/Letters of Intent• Edwards Find (Resumption of Mining at Edwards Find Open Pit) MiningProposal.• Silvers Underground (Mining of Deep Ores) Mining ProposalWorks Approvals• Works Approval 3826 – Notification to Raise to Marvel Loch TSF Cell 1 to1039.5 mRL – submitted July <strong>2009</strong>• Notification to conduct subsequent raise of the Marvel Loch Tailings StorageFacility Cell 2 & Cell 2E to 1039.5 mRL7
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>• Works Approval – Proposal to raise Marvel Loch Tailings Storage Facilityabove the approved 1040 mRL.to 1045 mRL.Clearing Permits• Edwards Find & Edwards Find North Open Pit Cutback – For the developmentof infrastructure, pit development and waste dumps.EPA and/or Commonwealth Referral• Raise of Marvel Loch Tailings Storage Facility above the approved 1040 mRL.8
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>2. Tenement Summary2.1 <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>SXO is located almost entirely within the Yilgarn Mineral Field (77), although with sometenements in the Phillips River Mineral Field (74). Previous mining operationsassociated with SXO extend from Bullfinch in the north to Blue Haze in the south.This AER is intended to fulfil the reporting requirements of the 361 tenements underthe control of SXO. Table 2-1 presents a summary of those tenements that requireannual reporting or tenements where activities have occurred during the July <strong>2008</strong> toJune <strong>2009</strong> reporting period.9
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 2-1: Location of <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> Sites10
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Table 2-1: <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> Tenement SummaryLocation Tenement Status during2007/<strong>2008</strong>Bullfinch/Copperhead Gold Mine M77/46, M77/105, M77/299, M77/301,M77/356, M77/480, M77/572,M77/1026, G77/15, G77/25, G77/32,G77/33, G77/34, G77/36, G77/79,G77/80, G77/81, L77/57Closed.Baladjie BorefieldL77/47, L77/52, L77/53, L77/54, L77/55,L77/56, L77/71, L77/72, L77/129,L77/132, L77/154, L77/155, L77/156,L77/157, L77/158, L77/159, L77/160Care andmaintenance.Corinthia Gold Mine M77/534 Closed.Golden Pig & Fraser’s GoldMinesM77/66, M77/90, M77/109, M77/593,M77/1002Closed.Polaris South Gold Mine M77/175, M77/497, Care andmaintenance.Ruapehu Gold Mine M77/251 Closed, someexploration.Greenmount & Transvaal GoldMineM77/225, M77/250, M77/734Closed,exploration.Maori Lass Gold Mine M77/217, M77/221, M77/225 Closed, explorationplanned.Cornishman Gold MineAxehandle, Leviathan & AchillesGold MinesM77/193, M77/197, M77/347, M77/352,M77/631, M77/811, M77/969M77/133, M77/159, M77/224, M77/722Care andmaintenance.Closed, exploration.Glendower Gold Mine M77/424, M77/721 Closed.Triad Gold Mine M77/86 Closed.Lenneburg Gold Mine M77/380 Closed. Someexploration.Mary Lena & Treasury GoldMinesM77/555, M77/668Closed.11
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Location Tenement Status during2007/<strong>2008</strong>Marvel Loch Gold MineM77/07, M77/08, M77/10, M77/26,M77/113, M77/114, M77/239, M77/525,M77/554, M77/638, M77/1036, G77/01,G77/02, G77/03, L77/7, L77/115Operational.Jaccoletti, Panizza and EdwardsFind BorefieldJaccoletti Gold MineL77/19, L77/20, L77/21, L77/23, L77/41,L77/64, L77/65M77/112, M77/525, M77/598, L77/65,L77/140Operational.Care andmaintenance. Someexploration.Edwards Find Gold Mine M77/160, M77/376 Closed. Exploration.Nevoria Gold Mine (includingKurrajong)Burbidge Area (including GVGand Hercules Gold Mines)M77/31, G77/05 ,G77/06, G77/07,G77/08, G77/12, G77/13M77/72, M77/138, M77/655, M77/745,M77/746, M77/747, M77/768, M77/775,M77/790, M77/1052, L77/112, L77/126Operational.Operational.Rehabilitation.Banker Gold Mine M77/510 Closed.Yilgarn Star and Harris FindGold MineM77/137, M77/431, M77/597, G77/74,G77/75Care andmaintenance.<strong>Southern</strong> Star Gold Mine M77/198, M77/660, M77/702, L77/167 Closed.Blue Haze Gold Mine M77/812, L77/174 Closed.Teddy Bear Gold Mine M77/324, L77/175 Closed.Cornishman to Marvel Loch HaulRoadM77/186, M77/554, L77/113, L77/114Operational.Marvel Loch to Nevoria HaulRoadL77/162 Operational.Nevoria to Yilgarn Star HaulRoad and Yilgarn Star to GVGHaul RoadM77/640, L77/06, L77/145, L77/173Operational.<strong>Southern</strong> Star to GVG Corridor L77/106, L77/167 Operational.<strong>Southern</strong> Star to Yilgarn StarAccess RoadPilot Gold Mine – TroyResources/SBM joint venture.SBM manager.M77/432, L77/105, L77/168M77/481, M77/1049Care andmaintenance.Closed.12
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Location Tenement Status during2007/<strong>2008</strong>Forrestania ExplorationE74/167, E74/396, E77/476, E77/477,E77/478, E77/494, E77/1433,E77/1434, E77/1437, G77/37, G77/45,G77/47, G77/48, G77/49, G77/50,G77/68, G77/70, G77/71, G77/72,G77/73, L74/12No activities.Mt Stewart ExplorationE77/998, E77/999, E77/1003,E77/1060, E77/1061, E77/1086No activities.Cheritons Find Exploration E77/697 No activities.Yellowdine Exploration E77/1344 No activities.Detailed plans of project areas are provided in Appendix 1. St Barbara has recentlyundertaken an intensive review of its SXO which has a resulted in the formulation of astrategy focused on consolidating its Marvel Loch underground mine assets. Nosurface mining activities are proposed for <strong>2009</strong>/10.A summary of the disturbance and rehabilitation activities associated with the <strong>Southern</strong><strong>Cross</strong> region for the current and previous reporting periods has been provided in Table1-2. A complete breakdown of disturbance and rehabilitation can be found in thetenement data sheets in Appendix 2.Due to the very large number of tenements included in this AER, it is necessary tosimplify reporting by dividing projects and tenements into Active Sites and InactiveSites.13
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Active ProjectsDuring the reporting year, the following projects were active on the basis of eithermining, rehabilitation, dewatering or exploration activities:• Axehandle• Bronco South• Edwards Find• Grand National• Greenmount• GVG• Jaccoletti• Kurrajong• Lenneburg• Marvel Loch• Mistral/Pakistani• Nevoria• Ruapehu• Tenacious Pig• TransvaalInactive ProjectsAll other projects listed in Table 2-1 are considered inactive with no significant activitiesconducted in the past year. Projects that become active during the year will be reportedin the next AER.Norilsk Nickel manages St Barbara’s Van Uden Project tenements (M77/477, M77/478,M77/522, M77/523). St Barbara usually appends the Van Uden rehabilitation report tothe SXO AER for tenements at Forrestania to satisfy AER reporting requirements. Arehabilitation review has not been prepared for the <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> reporting period.14
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>3. Mining ActivitiesDuring the reporting period St Barbara had four active mining areas in operation, theMarvel Loch Underground, GVG/Burbidge area, Nevoria/Kurrajong and Transvaal.These operations yielded 2.12 million tonnes of ore with an average gold grade of 2.81g/t (Table 3-1).MineTable 3-1: Mine Production Summary July <strong>2008</strong> – June <strong>2009</strong>ProductionPeriodOre(t)Grade(g/t)Waste(t)Total(t)Development(m)Marvel LochUndergroundContinuous 1,003,202 3.75 209,562 1,212,764 4,500Norton July - Dec 223,535 1,98 1,093,530 1,317,065 n/aPakistani Dec – Jan 165,889 0.86 152,667 318,556Grand National July - Jan 286,473 1.36 928,427 1,214,900Kurrajong Feb - April 138,613 1.92 1,396,560 1,535,173Mercury April - June 164,332 4.15 1,099,091 1,263,423Resurrection June 141,152 1.14 88,854 230,006Total 2,123,196 2.81 4,968,691 7,091,8873.1 Marvel LochMining continued at Marvel Loch Underground throughout the reporting year. TheUnderground produced 1,003,302 tonnes at 3.75g/t. Ore was mined from theUndaunted, Exhibition, Sherwood, New, East and Firelight Lodes (Figure 3-1 andFigure 3-2).15
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 3-1: Aerial Photograph Marvel Loch OperationFigure 3-2: Schematic of the Marvel Loch Underground Mine16
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>3.2 Norton (Nevoria)Mining of the Norton deposit was completed in December <strong>2008</strong> after commencing inApril of the same year. A total of 223,535 tonnes of ore was extracted and 1,093,530tonnes of waste rock material was used to cap the decommissioned Nevoria TSF.Mine dewatering was pumped to the nearby Nevoria turkeys nest where it was eitherpiped to the Marvel Loch processing plant or disposed of in the Yilgarn Star open pit.Ore stocks were transported from the adjacent Norton ROM to the Marvel Lochprocessing plant by road train via the Nevoria haul road.3.3 PakistaniDuring the <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2008</strong>0 reporting period the Pakistani open cut produced 165,889tonnes at 0.87 g/t. Mining of the Pakistani open pit was completed in January <strong>2009</strong>.All ore extracted from Pakistani was stockpiled at Old GVG ROM or hauled by roadtrain to Marvel Loch via the Nevoria haul road.3.4 Grand NationalGrand National commenced in January <strong>2008</strong> and was completed in January <strong>2009</strong>. Forthe reporting period, 284,696 tonnes of ore at 1.36 g/t was extracted from the GrandNational pit. Extracted ore was stockpiled on the adjacent Grand National ROM pad,and zones of waste unsuitable for use in rehabilitation (potentially acid forming) wereplaced into the exhausted Tenacious Pig pit.3.5 KurrajongKurrajong was mined between February and April <strong>2009</strong> with a total of 138,613 tonnesat 1.92 g/t of ore extracted. A new waste dump of approximately three hectares wasconstructed nearby to accommodate a large proportion of oxide waste material to aheight of 20 metres. Additional waste was taken to the Nevoria TSF locatedapproximately 1.5km to the west where it was used to cap the periphery of the TSF.Waste was also used to construct the Kurrajong haul road which was used to shorthaul extracted ore to the Kurrajong ROM at Nevoria, where it was stockpiled beforebeing transported by road train to the Marvel Loch processing plant.3.6 MercuryMining operations commenced at Transvaal’s Mercury pit in April <strong>2009</strong>. A total of164,332 tonnes at 4.15 g/t was extracted up until June <strong>2009</strong> when mining wascompleted. Ore was stockpiled on the nearby Mercury ROM pad before beingtransported by road train on the existing Cornishman haul road. Waste rock materialwas initially backfilled into the northern portion of the adjacent Polaris pit and then theJupiter pit located to the south. Waste material was also used to form a stable base to17
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>support mine infrastructure. Approximately 60,000 tonnes of ore was stockpiled on theMercury ROM at the end of the reporting period.3.7 ResurrectionSurface mining of the Resurrection pit commenced in June <strong>2009</strong> and was completed withinfour weeks. Situated north of the Bronco open pit, mining operations comprised a smallopen pit of approximately 2.5 hectares in area and 20m in depth supported by the expansionof an existing haul road to transport ore to the Old GVG ROM. A total of 2.5ha ofdisturbance was required to develop the pit, however the majority of open pit disturbanceoccurred on areas that had been disturbed previously. A total of 141,152 tonnes at 1.14 g/twas mined from the Resurrection deposit, and 40, 461 BCM of competent waste materialwas used to the cap the adjacent Bronco South waste dump.18
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>4. ExplorationExploration activities during the reporting period were essentially conducted in twophases: completion of drilling programs initiated during the previous year, and desktopanalysis of significant projects going forward. The project team has been reviewinghistorical exploration, assay, mining and metallurgical data to determine the likelihoodof economic reserves being present. On areas that are assessed as having areasonable likelihood of containing ore, follow-up exploration/resource definition drillingis conducted to confirm economic ore is present.The projects are modelled and optimised into the appropriate form of mining for thereserve and constraints present. The project is wide in scope and considers variousforms of mining including:• Open pits and cutbacks• Underground mining• Laterite extraction (similar to excavating gravel pits)• Rehandling ROM pads, old heap leach pads and low grade/waste stockpilesDrilling activities were carried out primarily between July <strong>2008</strong> and February <strong>2009</strong> inthe following areas:• Ruapehu to Greenmount• Nevoria• Burbidge area (Resurrection & GVG ROM)• Kurrajong; and• Edwards FindIn addition to exploration and mining components, environmental aspects are alsoassessed. These areas have undergone flora and fauna surveys, hydrologicalreviews, waste characterisation and closure/synergistic rehabilitation planning (seesection 7.7).19
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>5. Processing ActivitiesThe Marvel Loch treatment plant is a conventional carbon in leach / pulp (CIL/CIP)plant. A typical process flow diagram and image of the processing plant is provided inFigure 5-1 and Figure 5-2.Figure 5-1: Marvel Loch Process Flow DiagramFigure 5-2: Marvel Loch Processing Plant20
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>For the year ended 30 June <strong>2009</strong>, a total of 2.23 Mt of ore was processed, yielding156,105 ounces of gold (Au) with a recovery rate of 88% (Table 5-1). The processingplant throughput was approximately 15% below the nominal rated throughput of 2.6 Mtspecified in EP Act Licence 4597/12. The quantities of the processing consumablesused during the year are in Table 5-2.Table 5-1: Processing Summary July 2007 – June <strong>2008</strong>Ore Source Tonnes GradeMill throughput 2,233,367 2.48Ounces Au Oz 156,105Recovery % 88.0%Table 5-2: Processing Consumables July 2007 – June <strong>2008</strong>Consumable Unit TotalUnit /tonneMilledPrimary Grinding Media kg 640,776 0.29Secondary Grinding Media kg 677,060 0.30Cyanide kg 2,137,119 0.96Lime kg 14,402,070 6.44Carbon kg 53,000 0.023Oxygen m3 755,074 0.34Lead Nitrate L 169,498 0.076Hydrochloric Acid L 358,948 0.16Sodium Hydroxide kg 527,210 0.24LPG L 466,570 0.215.1 Tailings ManagementIn August 2003, Notice of Intent 4307 and Works Approval 3826 were submitted toextend the life of the Marvel Loch TSF with a final planned height of 1,040 m RL.During the review period, embankment raising works were undertaken on Cell TSF 2from 1,034.5 mRL to 1,037.0 mRL and Cell TSF 2E (Extension) from 1,032.5 mRL to1035.0 mRL.The construction work involved raising the perimeter embankments by 2.5 m utilisingupstream construction techniques and dried tailings borrowed from within the storagecells. As part of construction works, decant access and decant structures were alsoraised by 2.5 m.A further embankment raise of TSF1 of 2.5 meters was approved by the DECsubsequent to the reporting period and works had commenced at the time of writing21
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>this report. Additional raises of the embankment walls of Cells 2 and 2E are expectedduring <strong>2009</strong>/20010 to provide sufficient capacity for tailings storage.Tailings Storage AuditThe annual tailings storage audit, inspection and management review was conductedon 6 August <strong>2009</strong> by Coffey Mining (see Appendix 7). The following is a brief summaryof key audit findings.St Barbara satisfied operational and total freeboard requirements in accordance withDMP criteria (Table 5-3).Table 5-3: Marvel Loch TSF Freeboard Analyses from 30 June <strong>2008</strong>OperationalFreeboardBeachFreeboard1 in 100 year72 hour eventTotalFreeboardDMP criteria 0.3m 0.2m 0.17m 0.67mCell TSF2 (6/8/09) 1-2m 2m 0.17m Approx 3.5mTSF2 (Extension)(6/8/09)2m 2m 0.17m Approx 2.5mAt the time of the site visit, Cell TSF2 (Extension) was the active cell, while Cell TSF2had been partially filled. Raising construction had recently commenced on Cell TSF1.The active cell’s decant pond was located around the decant structure and the decantpond had a radius of nominally 125 m. The pond was considered an appropriate size.There were no decant ponds on the inactive Cell TSF1 and TSF 2 (Cell 1).Water levels within the piezometers remained ‘elevated’, with the following trends:• Water levels recorded in piezometers TSF1, TSF2 and TSF9 at thenorthern embankment of Cell TSF 1 showed a rising trend between August<strong>2008</strong> and August <strong>2009</strong> (maximum rise of 2.0m in TSF9 (Cell TSF1)).• The water levels recorded in the remainder of the piezometers TSF3 toTSF8 recorded water level falls (maximum fall of 0.9m in TSF7 (Cell TSF2Extension)The audit report concluded that water level trends in the piezometers are influenced bythe operation of the adjacent cell with a delay in response being observed betweenceasing deposition in a cell and decline of water levels within a piezometer.Conversely, a rising trend is likely upon the resumption of tailings deposition in anadjacent cell.22
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Depth to Water (mBTOC)02468101214161820Marvel Loch TSF Piezo'sStanding Water Level29-Jun-0529-Jul-0529-Aug-0529-Sep-0529-Oct-0529-Nov-0529-Dec-0529-Jan-0628-Feb-0629-Mar-0629-Apr-0629-May-0629-Jun-0629-Jul-0629-Aug-0629-Sep-0629-Oct-0629-Nov-0629-Dec-0629-Jan-0728-Feb-0729-Mar-0729-Apr-0729-May-0729-Jun-0729-Jul-0729-Aug-0729-Sep-0729-Oct-0729-Nov-0729-Dec-0729-Jan-0829-Feb-0829-Mar-0829-Apr-0829-May-0829-Jun-0829-Jul-08TSF 1 TSF 2 TSF 3 TSF 4 TSF 5 TSF 6 TSF 7 TSF 8 TSF 9Figure 5-3: Piezometric Levels at Marvel loch TSFWith regards to seepage, the annual audit report found that there had been no changein status on the previous year. Seepage flow into the southern sump appeared to bereduced compared to previous annual audits, while minor seepage flow was noted inthe toe drain west of bore MB94F1, as previously observed in the 2007 and <strong>2008</strong>audits. Coffey also noted minor seepage flow from the embankment toe adjacentextending along a length of up to 100m north of Cell TSF1 and its junction with CellTSF2. Seepage in this area was similar to the extent reported in the 2007 and <strong>2008</strong>annual audit reports.The audit report concluded that the spigotting and decant operations for the tailingsstorage facility are being adequately managed. Monitoring data indicated that thefacility can continue to be safely operated. A review of recent stability assessmentsindicate that at the proposed maximum design crest level 1,040 mRL for both the CellTSF1 and the Cell TSF2 embankments should have adequate factors of safety (Table5-4).23
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Table 5-4: Marvel Loch TSF Factor of Safety Analyses from 30 June <strong>2008</strong>Case Number/Cell Factor of Safety Recommended MinimumFactor of Safety for eachCaseCase 1 (CELL TSF2 CELL1) 1.76 1.5Case 2 (CELL TSF2 CELL1) 1.45 1.2Case 3 (CELL TSF2 CELL1) 1.48 1.5Case 4 (CELL TSF2 CELL1) 1.20 1.2Case 5 (CELL TSF1) 1.85 1.5Case 6 (CELL TSF1) 1.53 1.2Case 7 (CELL TSF1) 1.58 1.5Case 8 (CELL TSF1) 1.28 1.2Case 9 (CELL TSF2 (ext)) 1.88 1.5Case 10 (CELL TSF2 (ext)) 1.58 1.2An updated Tailings Storage Data Sheet for the Marvel Loch TSF can be located atAppendix 3.Potential Seepage Management ImprovementsThe Marvel Loch TSF currently has three active seepages (called Northern Seepage,Eastern Seepage and <strong>Southern</strong> Seepage).St Barbara’s seepage management strategy has the following objectives:• Reduce the risk of vegetation distress from seepage;• Recover near surface seepage (i.e. less than 4m) through seepagerecovery trenches draining to pump sumps;• Monitor effectiveness of seepage management controls through: a networkof monitoring bores and EM surveys.<strong>Southern</strong> SeepageDuring the last EM survey, seepage was identified to the south of the TSF. The<strong>Southern</strong> Seepage is possibly associated with a cut off trench under the embankmentin association with an old natural drainage line. Detailed schematics for the proposedseepage infrastructure have been prepared and construction is ready to commenceonce a long-term tailings management strategy has been finalised and regulatoryapproval granted to raise embankment walls above the currently approved 1040 mRL.24
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Eastern SeepageThe Eastern Seepage is believed to be associated with water flow along the internalembankments between the TSF cells. The water is diverted by the cut off trench underthe eastern embankment of Cell TSF2 through the abutment with Cell TSF1. Improvedmanagement of seepage along the eastern embankment is included as part of theproposal for the southern seepage described above. The trench would be 2-3m deep,backfilled with clean select rock and a geotextile to act as a filter at all trenches.Northern SeepageThe Northern Seepage has effective management and is being controlled. Noadditional seepage management works are being reviewed at this time.25
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>6. RehabilitationThe key focus of rehabilitation during <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> has been directed towards GVG TSF1-3 and adjacent heap leach and ROM pad areas to obtain synergies with miningactivities in the Burbidge area. Significant rehabilitation works were also conducted atNevoria and Kurrajong.A strategic overview of legacy rehabilitation liabilities was also undertaken through theyear and culminated in the development of the SXO Closure Plan, which wassubmitted to DMP and DEC <strong>Environmental</strong> Management Branch in October <strong>2008</strong>.Rehabilitation activities are summarised in Table 6-1 with more detailed breakdown ofdata provided in tenement data sheets in Appendix 2. The following discussionidentifies rehabilitation activities undertaken during <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong>.Table 6-1: Rehabilitation Summary July <strong>2008</strong> – June <strong>2009</strong>RehabilitationActivityCompletion ofEarthworksCompletionof SeedingRe-working /Re-ripping ofExistingRehabilitationRe-seeding ofExistingRehabilitationArea Rehabilitated in<strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong>51.6 17.0 0 06.1 Great VictoriaA closure plan was completed for GVG during early 2007 and was implemented withthe recommencement of mining in the Burbidge area. GVG hosts a number ofhistorical legacies from previous operators, making effective closure and rehabilitationa challenging and costly exercise (Figure 6-1). Significant re-shaping and sheetingworks were completed in <strong>2008</strong>/09 with the rehabilitation program focused on preparingthe landform and associated disturbance for contour ripping and seeding in <strong>2009</strong>/10.Rehabilitation works in <strong>2008</strong>/09 comprised:• Rehandle and backfilling of marcasite stockpile into the GVG open pit (Figure6-2);• Capping of backfilled marcasite stockpile with oxide material sourced fromPakistani;• Reshaping of heap leach pads and sheeting with lateritic topsoils;• Haulage and spreading of topsoils on the north east batters of GVG TSF1(Figure 6-4);26
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>• Haulage and spreading of topsoils on eastern and southern batter of GVG TSF2and TSF3;• Completion of capping previously uncapped sections of the surface of TSF3;and• Encapsulation of reactive waste materials situated at the northern toe of thewaste dump.Figure 6-1: Overview of Rehabilitation at GVG TSF 1-327
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 6-2: Reactive Marcasite Stockpile Prior to RemovalFigure 6-3: Rehabilitated Marcasite Stockpile Area28
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 6-4: Topsoil Stockpile Prior to Removal and Capping of BattersFigure 6-5: Completion of Topsoil Sheeting on Batter of GVG TSF129
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>6.2 Burbidge Area (Grand National & Resurrection – Bronco)The South Burbidge Closure Plan was developed in <strong>2008</strong> on the principles establishedin the South Burbidge Mining Proposal. During 2007/<strong>2008</strong>, the Burbidge area wasoperational with the main rehabilitation focus being on using waste from Tenacious Pigand Grand National for capping GVG TSF 1-3 and a smaller amount to the BroncoSouth waste dump. The continuance of mining into this reporting period at GrandNational generated additional reactive waste material that was backfilled intoTenacious Pig. Sterilisation of Tenacious Pig was completed at the conclusion ofmining at Grand National in February <strong>2009</strong>.Abandonment bunding was established around the perimeter of the Grand Nationaland Bronco South open pits immediately after the completion of mining atResurrection. The vast majority of bunding material was sourced from low-gradestockpiles on the old Grand National-Bronco South haul road, and additional oxidematerial was salvaged from Resurrection.Mining of laterites and oxide at Resurrection during the year created sufficient quantities ofwaste material to cap dispersive kaolin clays on the Bronco South waste dump situated tothe west of the pit. Approximately 130,000 tonnes of competent waste material wasstockpiled on the crest of the dump during mining operations, before reshaping of slopesand subsequent sheeting was undertaken in June <strong>2009</strong>. Only a very small portion of thesouthern tip of the land form remains to be capped.6.3 Nevoria (Norton Waste Dump)The continuation of mining at Norton through the period resulted in additional wasterock material being dumped on the waste dump atop the old Nevoria TSF. This tookplace until February <strong>2009</strong>. Major reshaping of batters to an 18° constant (no berms)slope was undertaken soon after (Figure 6-6). Topsoil salvaged from the clearing of theNorton pit was selectively used to sheet the batters as there were insufficient quantitiesavailable to cover the entire land form. In terms of rehabilitation accounting,approximately 10.73 hectares of the Norton waste dump was rehabilitated to R1 statusand 10.89 hectares (batters) to R2 status.30
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 6-6: Profiled and Topsoil Sheeted Batters of Norton Waste Dump6.4 KurrajongMining resumed at Kurrajong in February <strong>2009</strong> and was completed in April of the sameyear. The project comprised an open pit, three hectare waste dump, 1.5 kilometre haulroad and ROM facilities. The waste rock landform was progressively rehabilitated andbattered down to an 18° slope as per the Kurrajong Mining proposal. Salvagedtopsoils were eventually spread over the entire landform and deep ripped alongcontours (Figure 6-7). Seeding with local provenance native seed was completed inJune <strong>2009</strong>. The haul road to the Kurrajong ROM was also ripped, sheeted with topsoiland seeded during the reporting period (Figure 6-8). The removal of ore stockpiled onthe Kurrajong ROM in May was followed by deep ripping and seeding of the oxidesubstrate, which was completed in June. Rehabilitation of disturbance associated withthe Kurrajong mining project viz waste dump (3.0ha), haul road (2.63 ha) and ROM(6.79ha) totalled 12.42 hectares.31
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 6-7: Side-Casting Topsoil onto Kurrajong Waste DumpFigure 6-8: Rehabilitated Haul Road Linking Kurrajong and Nevoria32
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>7. <strong>Environmental</strong> ManagementA corporate level review of staffing requirements at SXO resulted in a restructure of theenvironmental department in December <strong>2008</strong> (Figure 7-1). The roles of <strong>Environmental</strong>Advisor and Graduate <strong>Environmental</strong> Officer have been made redundant, with supportnow provided to the <strong>Environmental</strong> Coordinator by the Manager Environment,Corporate <strong>Environmental</strong> Advisor and Corporate Graduate <strong>Environmental</strong> Officerbased in West Perth.General Manager <strong>Southern</strong><strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Manager - Environment<strong>Environmental</strong> CoordinatorFigure 7-1: Current Structure of the <strong>Environmental</strong> Function at SXO7.1 <strong>Environmental</strong> IncidentsThere were 24 incidents during the reporting period (Figure 7-2). The most commonincident type during <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> was hydrocarbon releases (14 occurrences). Othernotable incident types were process water spills (2 occurrences), chemical handling (2occurrences) and tailings freeboard breaches (2 occurrences). Most hydrocarbonleaks, saline water and tailings spills were due to equipment failure. In all hydrocarboncases the equipment was repaired and the spills were appropriately cleaned up. In allprocess water, tailings and saline water spills the faulty equipment was upgraded andrepaired, the spills were appropriately cleaned up and all relevant personnel werebriefed on the incident to prevent reoccurrences. All incidents recorded at SXO during<strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> are summarised in Table 7-1.33
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Table 7-1 <strong>Environmental</strong> Incidents by Type Between July <strong>2008</strong> and June <strong>2009</strong>Incident TypeNumberofPercentage(%)IncidentsHydrocarbon Release 14 58.3Process Water Release(Saline and Cyanide)2 8.3Chemical Handling 2 8.3Tailings Freeboard Breach 2 8.3Tailings Release 1 4.2Saline Water Release 1 4.2Fire 1 4.2Illegal Clearing (not by SBM) 1 4.2Total 24 100Figure 7-2: Breakdown of <strong>Environmental</strong> Incidents - July <strong>2008</strong> to June <strong>2009</strong>Pursuant to the SXO EP Act Licence 4597/12, St Barbara reported four incidentsduring the reporting period. Two of the incidents related to process water spills orsaline water spills. One related to unauthorised alluvial mining conducted by unknownperson(s) on a St Barbara tenement. One related to a tailings freeboard Breach of theMarvel Loch TSF. Summaries of the reported incidents are discussed below.Unauthorised Mining- 24 July <strong>2008</strong>Evidence of unauthorised mining for alluvial gold was indentified within a drainage lineat New Zealand Gully. The unauthorised mining occurred without the knowledge of St34
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Barbara. Disturbance comprised approximately 200 metres of linear trenching. Lettersdetailing the incident were prepared and sent to the DEC, DMP and local police.Saline Water Spill- 3 February <strong>2009</strong>A saline water sub-surface transfer line ruptured between two production bores onFrog Rock – Marvel Loch Road resulting in a saline water (TDS 80 000mg/l) spill ofapproximately 10,000-15,000 litres. Saline water was released and confined to thecouncil road reserve where it flowed in a westerly direction for approximately 150metres. Adjacent properties were not affected and no native vegetation communitieswere impacted.TSF Freeboard Breach- 12 March <strong>2009</strong>During a routine daily inspection of the TSF, the freeboard of the active cell along thewest wall was observed to be less than the prescribed 300mm (condition W7(b) of theSXO EP Act Licence 4597/12). Immediate actions to prevent a further reduction infreeboard included ceasing tailings deposition on the west wall and diverting tailings tospigots located on the south wall where sufficient embankment freeboard wasavailable. When the inactive cell’s wall raise was complete and spigots establishedtailings were directed to this cell.Process Water Spill- 15 June <strong>2009</strong>While operating under normal circumstances the process water tank was observed tobe leaking process water from the base of the tank. It is believed that the corrosivenature of the water within the tank caused the deterioration of the tank over time,however integrity testing conducted in the months preceding the spill failed to detectany irregularities. Aquacrete was used to seal the leak temporarily until the tank couldbe emptied and the floor joins repaired. Spill material was captured and pumped intothe milling circuit.35
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Table 7-2 SXO <strong>Environmental</strong> Incidents Between July <strong>2008</strong> and June <strong>2009</strong>Date Department Description Actions Type24/7/08 N/AUnauthorised Mining (not by StBarbara) at New Zealand Gully.Disturbance comprisedapproximately 200 metres oflinear trenching.Letters were prepared andsent to the DEC, DMPand local police.Land Clearing (notby St Barbara)26/7/08 ProcessingTechnical breach of 300mmembankment freeboard.DEC notified of technicalbreach of EP ActLicenceFreeboard Breach15/9/08HamptonsTransport(contractor)A road train collided with asmall rock causing damage tothe engine sump and asubsequent oil spill of 20 litres.The spill was containedand contaminated soilcollected and placed onthe bio-remediation pad.Hydrocarbon Spill5/9/08 MaintenanceApproximately 10 litres ofHydraulic fluid was spilt at theProcess Plant.<strong>Report</strong>ed to processwater damHydrocarbon Spill5/9/08 ShireOct-08Open PitsSmall fire at the Shire land fillfacilityApproximately 50 litres ofhydraulic fluid was spilt by ahydraulic hose failure on thedigger in the Norton Pit.Emergency ResponseTeam attended thescene with the fire trailerand doused the fire withwater. A digger was thenbrought to the scene tocover the landfill withsoil.The spill was containedand cleaned up usingabsorbent material, whichwas subsequently placedon the bio-remediationpad.FireHydrocarbon Spill20/10/08 UG MiningApproximately 10 – 50 litres ofhydraulic oil was spilt due to ahose leak on UG machine JB61within the ML UG.<strong>Report</strong>ed to processwater damHydrocarbon Spill20/10/08 UG MiningApproximately 10 -50 litres ofhydraulic oil was spilt due to asteering hose leakage on UGTruck 139 within the ML UG.<strong>Report</strong>ed process waterdamHydrocarbon Spill15/11/08 UnknownApproximately 5 litres of dieselfuel was spilt at the LV fuel bay.The person responsiblefailed to respond asrequired and the spill wassubsequently cleaned upand disposed of on thebio-remediation pad byanother member of staff.Hydrocarbon Spill36
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Date Department Description Actions TypeNov-08Nov-08Nov-08Nov-08UG MiningWestonia Civil(Tailings LiftContractors)UG MiningUG Mining28/11/08 Stores13/12/09 ProcessingApproximately 30 litres ofHydraulic oil was spilt by ahydraulic hose failure onmachine LD146 within ML UG.Less than 10 litres of HydraulicOil was spilt by a hydraulichose failure on machine DT37(Westonia Civil).Approximately 30 litres ofHydraulic oil was spilt by aJumbo Machine within the MLUG.Less than 10 litres of Hydraulicoil was spilt by a hydraulic hosefailure on JB61 within the MLUG.A consignment of 21 000 litresof lead nitrate was delivered tothe stores storage yard and notappropriately contained within abund.Approximately 10 litres of QuickLime reported to surroundingsoils adjacent to the bundedarea. The cause appears to bedue to the operator failing to‘flush through’ delivery hosesprior to decoupling from thedelivery tank.<strong>Report</strong>ed to processwater damSpill kit mats weredeployed and thecontaminated materialdisposed of at the bioremediationpad.<strong>Report</strong>ed to processwater damSpill kit mats were used toclean up the spill anddeposited within thehydrocarbon bin at theBarminco workshop.Immediate relocation ofthe Lead Nitrate to ashaded bunded areawas conducted once thenoncompliance hadbeen identified.The Lime Spill wascleaned up. The incidentwas discussed with thedelivery operator.Hydrocarbon SpillHydrocarbon SpillHydrocarbon SpillHydrocarbon SpillChemical HandlingChemical Spill21/01/09 ProcessingApproximately 10 to 50 litres ofhydraulic fluid was deposited onthe mill ROM due to a hydraulichose failure on excavator EX2.The spill was removedwith a loader and placedon the bio-remediationpad.Hydrocarbon Spill25/1/09 UG Mining22/2/09 ProcessingApproximately 10 to 50 litres ofhydraulic fluid washed downthe North Decline as a result ofa hydraulic hose failure onJB32 within the ML UG.The Lubrication oil return linebetween two pumps on CR02(crusher) failed causing an oilspill of approximately 100 litres.<strong>Report</strong>ed to processwater damThe pumps wereimmediately shutdownpreventing a seriousincident. The spillreported to the concretepad below where it wascovered with peat materialand allowed to soak for 24hours. The contaminatedmaterial was thendisposed on the bioremediationpad.Hydrocarbon SpillHydrocarbon Spill37
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Date Department Description Actions Type3/2/09 ProcessingSaline water spill ofapproximately 10,000-15,000litres (TDS 80 000mg/l) fromthe borefield pipeline.Saline water was confinedto the council roadreserve. Adjacentproperties and nativevegetation communitieswere not impacted.Saline Water Spill12/3/09 Processing19/4/<strong>2009</strong> Processing3/5/09HamptonsTransport24/5/09 ProcessingBreach of the 300mmembankment freeboard onthe west wall of TSF1.A failure of the booster pumpgland seal resulted in the lossof tails (80% water, 20% slurry)to the containment bund. Theinstalled sump pump also failedresulting in approximately 3000litres of water and slurry overtopping the bund wall.Discharge of oily water from theHampton’s wash down bay dueto failure of the return pump atthe triple interceptor.Approximately 2000 litres ofdecant water flowed over thecrest of the decant dam andreported to the base of the westwall of the TSF. Theovertopping occurred as aresult of the continued pumpingof decant water from TSF2 tothe decant dam whilst the millhad been shut down for repairs.Spigots located along thelength of the west wallwere immediately shut-off.Tailings deposition redirectedto area withsufficient freeboard.Sump pump found tohave too light a cable forthe pump and has beenrewired. Floats havebeen fitted. Telementrywas commissionedwithin 2 weeks allowinghigh level alarms back tomill control. Overflowpipe fitted from the glandseal tank to the returnwater pond.Cleaned up spill andremoved contaminatedsoil to bio remediationpadThe level sensor at thedam was added to theCitect system. The levelcan now be viewed fromMill Control. All crewswere briefed on theincident.Freeboard BreachTailings SpillHydrocarbon SpillProcess Water Spill(Saline and Cyanidewater Spill)15/6/09 ProcessingThe floor of the process watertank began leaking, spillingapproximately 7500 litres ofprocess water (containscyanide & alkaline constituents)onto the surrounding area.Leak sealed withshotcrete/ aquacrete untilnew floor could beinstalled.Process Water Spill(Saline and Cyanidewater Spill)7.2 Audits and InspectionsExternalOn 30 June <strong>2009</strong>, Mr Wayne Astill and Mr Peter McQueen from the DEC conducted aninspection against SXO’s EP Act Licence 4597/12. No <strong>Environmental</strong> Field Noticeswere issued, however the following items were noted:38
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>• Hydrocarbon management at the Hampton’s Transport Services yard waspoor, particularly in relation to miscellaneous small hydrocarbon bunding,waste oil bunding and the workshop oil trap;• Controlled waste tracking forms or receipts were not kept on site andavailable for Inspectors request;• The site landfill is not being covered in accordance with the <strong>Environmental</strong>Protection (Rural Landfill) Regulations 2002;• Abrasive blasting is not being carried out in accordance with the<strong>Environmental</strong> Protection (Abrasive Blasting) Regulation 1998. DECsuggested that some of the material is generally small enough to be donewithin a chamber;• Non-compliance in relation to Licence Condition W10 (Water Monitoring) is“only being gradually addressed”. Monitoring undertaken on 2 July <strong>2008</strong>should have occurred in June <strong>2008</strong>, and similarly for the March <strong>2008</strong>sampling;• Construction of new monitoring bores to replace poorly constructedexisting bores has not yet commenced. DEC understood that installationhad not occurred as St Barbara is seeking to establish a more strategicoverview of its monitoring requirements in line with future TSF needs; and• DEC requires St Barbara to provide a detailed discussion of the conditionof the Banker Lake system and provide proof necessary to demonstratethe existing trends in the lakes progress, in accordance with Condition W8(Photo Monitoring).St Barbara submitted a response to the DEC <strong>Annual</strong> Audit report on 3 September<strong>2009</strong>, which it described actions taken to rectify issues raised during the DEC audit.These are listed below:• Miscellaneous drums with residual hydrocarbons have been removed fromthe Hampton’s workshop area and are now stored within a containmentbund;• The oil trap and collection sump have been modified to transfer collected oiland water to the wash down bay via a double skinned pipeline. Similar39
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>infrastructure has been installed to convey contaminated water from thefuel bay bund to the wash down bay;• A review of the Hydrocarbon Management Policy was undertaken to ensureall site facilities are compliant with Condition W4(a) – HydrocarbonManagement;• The St Barbara Controlled Waste Management Procedure has beendeveloped and implemented, and all staff and contractors are now aware oftheir obligations under the Environment Protection (Controlled Waste)Regulations 1998;• Maintenance works were immediately undertaken following the DEC<strong>Annual</strong> Audit to comply with the Environment Protection (Rural Landfill)Regulations 2004. Regular maintenance, including covering of wastematerial, is now scheduled every four weeks;• An abrasive blasting containment structure has been fabricated andinstalled in the maintenance workshop area to capture and reuse garnet.Maintenance department staff have also been reminded that they arerequired to ensure the abrasive blasting area is cleaned immediately afteruse; and• St Barbara has provided the DEC with a commitment to commission aconsultant to review existing TSF monitoring infrastructure and recommendsuitable locations to comply with Licence Condition W10 (WaterMonitoring). The new bores, with the endorsement of DEC, will be installedby 30 December <strong>2009</strong>.An <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> Inspection for 2007/08 AER Review – Marvel Loch –<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> Mine Site was conducted by Mrs Rosemarie De Bari and Mr OwenWilson on behalf of the DMP between 24 and 27 November <strong>2008</strong>. The DMPhighlighted the following as areas that require attention or further action:• Brumby (Bronco South) Waste Dump – White dispersive material iseroding into the vegetation surrounding the Bronco South waste dump.Some capping of the landform with competent material has beencompleted, however, the process should be continued to ensure thaterosion no longer continues. NB – Capping of 95% of the landform wassubsequently completed as part of the recommencement of mining atResurrection (see Chapter 6)40
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>• Corinthia – Inadequate vegetation cover and erosion issues;• Yilgarn Star – Low-grade stockpiles need to be removed and/orrehabilitated. The stockpiled material has been placed at an angle ofrepose which is encroaching onto surrounding vegetation, potentiallymaking rehabilitation without damaging surrounding vegetation difficult.The laydown area should be rehabilitated, with remaining material (coretrays) removed;The large dam area at the entrance of the mine needs to be rehabilitated.It is unclear what the purpose of the dam was, but it is full of sediment andpossibly hydrocarbons;• Edwards Find Tails Area – A large area of what appears to be tailings orfines associated with a heap leach should be removed and rehabilitated.NB – subsequent enquiries suggest that tenure of this area is held byanother party;• Marvel Loch TSF – A lack of nearby capping material may hinder anyproposal to rehabilitate the TSF following closure and decommissioning;• Marvel Loch Workshop – Hydrocarbons were inappropriately stored outsideof containment bunds. The Barminco fuel storage area was also inundatedwith water following recent rains, and the Hampton’s oil separation arearequires upgrading to prevent the leakage of hydrocarbons;• GVG Workshop – Water/oil separation tanks were overly full and appearedto be leaking, as was the triple interceptor system. NB – The GVGworkshop area was decommissioned in July <strong>2009</strong> and the areas of concernnoted by DMP have been addressed; and• Exploration – Much of the exploration that was observed during the auditdid not meet DMP standards. Numerous unplugged drill casings wereobserved, for both historical and recent drilling. St Barbara should developan exploration rehabilitation plan for the site, documenting where theuncapped drill holes are and when they will be rehabilitated. NB – Aprovision has been included in the <strong>2009</strong>/10 Environment Budget to collateand analyse existing exploration data, conduct opportunistic ground truthingand surveying of legacy drill sites, and begin strategic rehabilitation of noncompliantexploration sites.41
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>InternalInternal inspections and audits were conducted throughout the year. Inspections werefocussed on areas of highest actual and potential impact and ensuring compliance withlicence conditions. During the year, inspections were conducted over the followingareas/aspects:• workshops;• accommodation villages;• laydown areas;• drill rigs;• stores yard;• mill & crusher;• bioremediation areas;• spill kit auditing;• waste dumps & rehabilitation;• waste management and landfill auditing; and• TSF Inspections.EP Act Licence 4597/12St Barbara is required to monitor groundwater quality and groundwater levels at theMarvel Loch TSF and groundwater discharge volumes in accordance with conditions inEP Act Licence 4597/12. To identify success of attaining monitoring requirements,each analyte, standing water level or other record has been deemed to be a monitoringevent (eg when a sample requires 10 analytes, it is recorded as having 10 monitoringevents). This is subsequently used to record a percentage of achievement ofmonitoring requirements.All water monitoring analyses were conducted by ALS. ALS are accredited by NATA.Water samples were collected and preserved according to Australian Standard 5667.1– 1998.42
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Under the EP Act Licence 4597/12, five TSF bores require monitoring for specifiedanalytes/water levels quarterly during December, March, June and September and sixmonthly during March and September. When interpreting the licence, condition W10(a)requires “major anions and cations” to be monitored, (in addition to the analytes listed).It has been assumed that all major cations and anions are captured in the table under-condition W10(a) with the addition of the anions NO 3 and SO 2- 4 . One of the bores(MB94B1) was dry for the duration of the reporting period, therefore samples could notbe taken for this bore. Therefore only 64 monitoring events (quarterly) and 176monitoring events (six-monthly) were possible for the reporting period. In addition tomonitoring bore data, a further nine piezometers require monitoring for standing waterlevels in September, December, March and June (36 monitoring events).Figure 7-3: Marvel Loch TSF and Monitoring Bore Locations.Analysis of the quarterly bore water monitoring indicates that four omissions (out of 64monitoring events) occurred; WAD CN was not recorded at any of the four bores inSeptember <strong>2008</strong>. In addition to these omissions sampling of MB94G1 occurred 11days late for the September monitoring.For the six monthly bore monitoring no omissions (out of 176 monitoring events)occurred for the reporting period, although sampling of MB94G1 occurred 11 days late43
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>for the September monitoring. Additional testing was also conducted during Decemberand June for the majority of analytes listed for the six-monthly monitoring.For the quarterly piezometer monitoring 3 omissions (out of 36 monitoring events)occurred for the reporting period. Additional monitoring (1 or 2 measures per month)also occurred for the “TSF” series bores. The surface water level raw data is presentedin Appendix 5.Condition W11 of the EP Act Licence requires water samples drawn from designatedmonitoring bores (MB94-B1, TSF1-4, PZ99B1, PZ99D1, PZ99F1 and PZ99G1) to meetthe water quality criteria of pH between 6 and 9 and WAD CN to not exceed 0.5 mg/L.However, TSF1-4, PZ99B1, PZ99D1, PZ99F1 and PZ99G1 are piezometers and arespecified for only standing water level measurements (not water samples), and aspreviously described, MB94B1 is dry. Thus, sampling is either not required or notpossible for any of these installations. Bores MB94D1 to MB94G1 are exempt fromCondition W11, however below is a discussion of the bores compliance with thisCondition.Bores MB94D1 to MB94G1 all had WAD cyanide concentrations below 0.5 mg/L, withthe exception of MB94/ D1 on 10 June <strong>2009</strong> which recorded a WADCN concentrationof 0.56mg/L. The next highest concentration (0.22 mg/L) was recorded at MB94G1 inJune <strong>2009</strong>. The raw data from these water quality analyses is presented in Appendix5.The pH of water samples continued to be at approximately pH 3 (average 3.2, standarddeviation 0.56) throughout the year. Low pH has persisted for many years (and isexempt from compliance with the EP Act Licence). Soil and Rock Engineering Pty Ltd(2003; now Coffey Geosciences Pty Ltd), suggest that the reason for the lowering ofthe pH is probably due to ferrolysis. A decrease in pH coincides with groundwaterrising into laterised/saprolitic clays, which are naturally acidic due to intenseweathering. Interaction of saline groundwater with acidic soil materials (via aluminiumdisplacement with sodium) results in a decline in groundwater pH. The raw data fromthese water quality analyses is presented in Appendix 5.Salinity (expressed as TDS) of the TSF bores ranged from 4,500 mg/L to 105,000mg/L, with most results ranging between 50,000 mg/L and 100,000 mg/L. The rawdata from these water quality analyses is presented in Appendix 5.St Barbara is required to monitor the Mine Dewatering Discharge (to pits). As stated bycondition W10(a), St Barbara must take six monthly (September and March) waterquality analyses for three analytes and an annual analysis for 22 analytes for all water44
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>discharged to Pits. At <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> Water is extracted from bores, theMarvel Loch Underground, seepages and open pits for processing, dust suppressionand mine dewatering. The quantity of water discharged to pits must not exceed4,300,000 kL (1 monitoring event).During the year, pit dewatering discharge occurred between:• Nevoria and Yilgarn Star;Internal transfers of pit water also occurred between Grand National and Tenacious Pigwithin the Burbidge region and between Mercury and Polaris within the Transvaalregion. These internal movements are not considered to be dewatering discharge, butrather internal water management for the respective mines. The Marvel LochUnderground continued dewatering during the reporting period with all water reportingto the process water pond, and not a pit (Jacoletti) as in previous reporting periods.Dewatering from Nevoria to Yilgarn Star occurred throughout the reporting period,giving rise to 26 monitoring events, (6 for the six monthly monitoring, 19 for the annualmonitoring and 1 for the volume of water discharged).Analysis of mine dewatering discharge reveals that 1,304,863 kL was discharged intothe Yilgarn Star pit which is below the 4,300,000 kL limit (Table 7-3). Water monitoringwas not conducted at the discharge locations but at the Nevoria turkey’s nest. Usingthis sample points 0 omissions out of 26 monitoring events were noted.Table 7-3 Pit Water Transfers Between July 2007 and June <strong>2008</strong>Pit Water TransfersDewatering(PitDischarge)Volume kLNevoria to Yilgarn Star 1,304,863Overall, there were 7 omissions out of 302 water monitoring events in the EP ActLicence (97.7% achievement) for the reporting period. This shows an improvementcompared with 90.8% achievement from the previous reporting period. All of theseomissions relate to the September <strong>2008</strong> monitoring period in which WADCN was nottested for and 3 SWL’s were not taken. The December <strong>2008</strong>, March <strong>2009</strong> and June<strong>2009</strong> monitoring periods all report 100% achievement against the EP Act Licence. StBarbara will continue to focus on improving its conformance with monitoringrequirements during the <strong>2009</strong>/2010 reporting period.45
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Groundwater LevelsPiezometric levels are discussed in section 5.1. Groundwater levels of boressurrounding the Marvel Loch TSF have been relatively static over the past year. BoresMB94E1 and MB94G1 have shown a slight increasing trend with readings of 0.34mand 0.4m respectively. MB94D1 has shown a slight decreasing trend with a reading of0.28m and MB94F1 remained constant. As shown in the graph, a value of 5.61m wasrecorded for MB94D1 on 20 December <strong>2008</strong>, it is believed that this value wasincorrectly recorded and should have been 4.61m, as shown by the “correction” line onthe graph. This correction is supported by the slight decreasing trend of the bore andconfirmation with the operator that the “5” instead of a “4” is a likely error.Figure 7-4: Groundwater Levels of Bores at the Marvel Loch TSFGroundwater Abstraction LicencesDuring the year groundwater abstraction occurred at SXO under the terms of the threeLicense to Take Water licences, Marvel Loch <strong>Operations</strong> 59227(3) (Lake Baladjie toYilgarn Star), <strong>Southern</strong> Star/Toomey Hills (104620(4)) and Blue Haze/Kondinin-Ravensthorpe (153325(3)). At the time of compiling the AER, the annual groundwaterreview was being prepared and will be submitted to the Department of Water oncecomplete.46
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>7.3 Surface Water (Salt Lake Discharges)Whilst SXO no longer discharges saline water to Banker Lake, Lake Polaris or<strong>Southern</strong> Star Lake, it continues to conduct photo monitoring at Banker Lake inaccordance with Condition W8 of EP Act Licence 4597/12. Monitoring photographsare required to be taken from ten monitoring points at six month intervals (summer andwinter). The Banker Lake photographic monitoring is presented in Appendix 6.Photographic monitoring is beginning to indicate a slight and gradual recovery of theecosystem. St Barbara intends to commission an Ecosystem Recovery <strong>Report</strong> in<strong>2009</strong>/2010 to attempt to quantify any improvements, define recovery indicators andmilestones, and identify any management actions that may support further recovery.7.4 Hydrocarbon and Waste ManagementHydrocarbon waste generated by the SXO (St Barbara and contractors) is collected byWren Oil for recycling or disposal. The quantities of hydrocarbon wastes removed fromsite are summarised in Table 7-4.Table 7-4: Waste Hydrocarbon Disposal and Recycling SummaryItem Units Quantity Disposal MethodFilters m 3 7 Removed offsite andrecycledGrease kg 0 Removed offsite andincineratedOily Water L 26 500 Removed offsite andrecycledWaste Oil L 111 750 Removed offsite andrecycledHydrocarbon waste m 3 22 Removed offsite andincineratedAll washdown bays were regularly audited and discharge waters analysed for totalpetroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) to monitor the effectiveness of oily water separationsystems. Improvements made during the previous reporting period (2007/<strong>2008</strong>) haveresulted in increased reliability and operation of both the Barminco and Hampton’swashdown bays.A recycling programme is in place for all operational sites at SXO. This programmefocuses on materials such as cardboard, paper and aluminium cans. Stores personnelnow have a greater involvement in managing the recycling despatch yard, and as aresult, crates and other containers are sent of site, and returned, more frequently.47
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>7.5 Air Quality (Noise and Dust)During the <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong> reporting period, no monitoring of blasts at the open pits wasconducted.Dust from operational areas (Marvel Loch, Burbidge, Nevoria & Transvaal) wascontrolled using water carts as required. Dust generated at the process plant iscontrolled using specialised equipment such as water sprays and enclosures.No incidents or complaints were raised during this reporting period related to dustmanagement.7.6 Flora and FaunaClearingSt Barbara manages clearing of native vegetation and rehabilitation activities throughan internal permitting process known as Surface Disturbance Permits (SDP). Duringthe year, 25.5 ha of native vegetation was cleared within the scope of the 10 ha pertenement per year exemption to the <strong>Environmental</strong> Protection (Native VegetationClearing) Regulations (Table 7-5). Rehabilitation activities completed included primaryearthworks on 51.6 ha of existing disturbance, and seeding of 17.0 ha of newrehabilitation (ie rehabilitation that was ripped for the first time, see Table 6-1).Table 7-5 Clearing of Native Vegetation During <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong>Tenement Area Cleared (ha)M77/225 9.5M77/1052 5.7M77/138 0.4M77/31 9.9Total25.5 haDuring the year St Barbara held discussions with DEC regarding the proposedexpansion of mining activities in the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> region and in particular in theEdwards Find project area which is situated within a Schedule 1 area. Despite mineplanning carried out to date suggesting that less than ten hectares of clearing will berequired, DEC has advised that a clearing permit application will need to be submittedand approval granted before native vegetation can be cleared.48
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Flora and Vegetation SurveysA number of biological surveys were undertaken during the reporting period tosupplement previous surveys and fill spatial gaps in areas likely to be subject to futuremining and exploration activities.The following flora and vegetation surveys were conducted during the review period:• Axehandle Achilles Vegetation Survey• Edwards Find Vegetation Survey• Kurrajong Vegetation SurveyMapping of vegetation communities and priority flora are provided in Figure 7-5 toFigure 7-7. From these recent flora and vegetation surveys and past flora surveys, twoDeclared Rare Flora and 21 Priority Flora species are known to occur in the <strong>Southern</strong><strong>Cross</strong> region (Table 7-6).49
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 7-5: Vegetation Mapping and Priority Flora at Axehandle Achilles.50
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 7-6: Vegetation Mapping and Priority Flora at Edwards Find51
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 7-7: Vegetation Mapping and Priority Flora at Kurrajong52
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>TaxaTable 7-6 Declared Rare and Priority Flora Near <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Conservation Mine LocationsStatusDaviesia microcarpa Declared Rare Flora RuapehuIsopogon robustus Declared Rare Flora Not located (but known to occur in the ParkerRange)Acacia asepala Priority 2 KurrajongAcacia concolorans Priority 2 Burbidge Area, Parker Range, Marvel Loch,Mary LenaAcacia dissona var. indoloria Priority 3 Burbidge Area, Nevoria, Edwards FindAcacia crenulata Priority 3 Marvel LochAcacia epedunculata Priority 1 Cornishman to Marvel Loch haul roadCalamphoreus inflatus Priority 4 Nevoria, Cornishman to Marvel loch haul roadDillwynia ?acerosa Priority 1 Blue HazeEremophila caerulea subsp.merrallii Priority 4 Burbidge Area, west of Greenmount, Mary Lena,south of LenneburgEremophila racemosa Priority 3 Nevoria, Blue HazeEuromyrtus leptospermoides Priority 3 Parker Range, Edwards FindGoodenia heatheriana Priority 1 Not located (past records near Burbidge)Grevillea eriobotrya Priority 3 Cheritons Find (Parker Range)Hakea pendens Priority 2 Blue Haze, Burbidge Area, Marvel Loch, ParkerRange, Mary Lena, south of LenneburgLissanthe scabra Priority 2 GreenmountMicrocorys sp. Forrestania Priority 4 Nevoria, Axehandle, Burbidge, Cornishman toMarvel Loch haul roadKeraudrenia ?adenogyna (ms) Priority 2 Blue HazeMillotia newbeyi Priority 1 Not located (past records near Burbidge)Philotheca coateana Priority 3 Burbidge, NevoriaStenanthemum bremerense Priority 3 Burbidge, Nevoria, Cornishman to Marvel Lochhaul road, Marvel Loch, Mary Lena, Lenneburg,Triad, Glendower, Leviathan, south ofCornishmanVerticordia stenopetala Priority 3 Cheritons Find (Parker Range)Verticordia ?multiflora subsp. solox Priority 2 Burbidge53
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Fauna SurveysIn addition to the flora and vegetation surveys conducted at Axehandle-Achilles,Edwards Find and Kurrajong, a regional short-range endemics (SRE) survey wasconducted in the Cornishman, Edwards Find, Transvaal and Burbidge mining areas.This survey followed a preliminary assessment of potential short-range endemics andother terrestrial invertebrates that may occur within areas affected by SXO’sgoldmining operations. The preliminary assessment identified a number of significantinvertebrate species, including Aganippe castellum (Schedule 1 Protected Fauna,Wildlife Conservation ACT 1950), and consequently, a comprehensive survey wascommissioned in July <strong>2008</strong>. It included all sites surveyed during the preliminaryassessment, along with an additional site at Corinthia located approximately 15kmnorth of <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong>. Putative short-range endemic taxa species recordedincluded:• Antichiropus ‘ML1’ (Paradoxosomatidae): This speciesis currently only known from this study at Marvel Loch.• Antichiropus ‘ML2’ (Paradoxosomatidae): This species is currently onlyknown from this study at Marvel Loch.• Polyzoniida (unknown genus and species).• Atelomastix sp. (Iulomorphidae): This species is currently only knownfrom this study at Marvel Loch.• Barychelidae (Aurecocrypa, Idiommata & Synothele): Specimens wereonly collected from a single location. Lack of taxonomic research limitsidentification of these species but there is the potential for Short-rangeendemism.One species of Schedule 1 Fauna was observed during the study:• Aganippe castellum (Tree-stem trapdoor spider): Burrows of thisspecies have been observed in the Allocasuarina shrubland of theBurbidge and Edwards Find areas.54
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 7-8: Tree-Stem Trapdoor Spider (Aganippe castellum) Burrows from Burbidge (top) andEdwards Find. Photo: Patrick Cullen & Peter Langlands.The observations from the SRE surveys now add further to an already extensive anddiverse faunal assemblage in the region. Previously, nine of potentially 21 vertebratefauna species of conservation significance were located across the survey areas atSXO (Table 7-7).Feral Animal ControlA feral animal trapping program was conducted by Animal Pest Management Servicesover 7 nights (280 trapping nights) in May <strong>2009</strong>. The program removed 14 feral catsand one fox (Figure 7-9). This compares with a total of 37 feral cats trapped inFebruary <strong>2008</strong>, indicating a decline in the feral cat population around Marvel Loch.55
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Figure 7-9: Feral Cats Trapped in One Morning56
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Table 7-7 Vertebrate Fauna of Conservation Significance in the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> RegionTaxa Conservation Status Known LocationsCarpet Python (south-western)Morelia spilota imbricataSchedule 4 WCADEC Priority 4Burbidge Area.Woma PythonAspidites ramsayiSchedule 4 WCADEC Priority 1Not located.Lake Cronin SnakeParaplocephalus atricepsStarred Knob-tailed GeckoNephurus stellatusMalleefowlLeipoa ocellataMajor Mitchell’s CockatooCacatua leadbeateriInland Western RosellaPlatycercus icterotis xanthogenysPeregrine FalconFalco peregrinusRainbow Bee-eaterMerops ornatusFork-tailed SwiftApus pacificusBush Stone-CurlewBurhinus grallariusShy Heathwren (western wheatbelt)Hylacola cauta whitlockiRufous Fieldwren (western wheatbelt)Calamanthus campestris montanellusCrested Shrike-tit (southern)Falcunculus frontatus leucogasterCrested Bellbird (southern)Oreoica gutteralis gutteralisDEC Priority 3Limited distributionEPBC Act VulnerableSchedule 1 WCASchedule 4 WCASchedule 1 WCASchedule 4 WCAEPBC Act MigratoryEPBC Act MigratorySchedule 3 WCADEC Priority 4DEC Priority 4DEC Priority 4DEC Priority 4DEC Priority 4Not located.Not located.Cornishman to Marvel Loch Belt (near Mary Lena),Omega. Extinct nest at Edwards Find.Not located.Cornishman to Marvel Loch Belt, Burbidge Area.Cornishman to Marvel Loch Belt.Cornishman to Marvel Loch belt, Transvaal-Ruapehu, Burbidge Area, Edwards Find.Not located.Not located.Edwards Find.Not located.Not located.Cornishman to Marvel Loch belt, Transvaal-Ruapehu, Burbidge Area, Edwards Find.White-browed Babbler (westernwheatbelt)Pomatostomus superciliosus ashbyi<strong>Southern</strong> Scrub-RobinDrymodes brunneopygiaChuditchDasyurus geoffroiiDEC Priority 4Limited distributionEPBC Act VulnerableSchedule 1 WCATransvaal-Ruapehu, Burbidge Area, Edwards Find.Burbidge Area, Edwards Find.Not located.Western Brush WallabyMacropus irmaDEC Priority 4Not located.Central Long-eared BatNyctophilus timoriensisDEC Priority 4Not located.KultarrAntechinomys lanigerLimited distribution Not located.WCA = Wildlife Conservation ActEPBC Act = <strong>Environmental</strong> Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Protection Act57
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>7.7 Aboriginal HeritageNo additional Aboriginal heritage sites were identified as archaeological orethnographic surveys were not conducted during the reporting period.Aboriginal cultural awareness training is compulsory for all St Barbara personnel, whichis conducted by representatives from the Mallee Aboriginal Corporation. One sessionwas held in September <strong>2008</strong>.During the year, St Barbara and representatives of the Central West Native TitleClaimants Group (Central West NTC) agreed to re-establish the Project AgreementMonitoring Committee. The Committee’s principal function is to facilitatecommunication between St Barbara and the Central West NTC on matters relating toexisting and proposed production schedules, and management of Aboriginal culturalheritage sites.The Committee held its first meeting on 10 June <strong>2009</strong> at St Barbara’s <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong><strong>Operations</strong> and resolved to meet on a half- yearly basis, alternating between site visitsand a venue yet to be determined in Kalgoorlie. The Committee meeting on 10 Junethis year was preceded by a site tour of <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>, which includedactive mining areas, proposed mining areas and rehabilitated mining sites.58
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>7.8 Workforce Education and TrainingAll company staff and contractors are required to participate in and pass a general siteenvironmental management induction at the commencement of employment.Upgrades have continued on the induction to ensure relevance to workforce andoperational issues, particularly in relation to water conservation, energy efficiency andhydrocarbon management. <strong>Environmental</strong> issues are an agenda item at toolboxmeetings, site safety meetings and management meetings.The following training programmes were conducted during the year:• Spill kit training (Perth Petroleum Services) - Operational personnel weretrained in the correct usage of spill kit equipment and disposal ofhydrocarbon contaminated materials;• Snake awareness training – Snakes Harmful and Harmless was engagedto provide snake handling and awareness training to site personnel;• Waste management and recycling;• Aboriginal cultural awareness training (Mallee Aboriginal Corporation) -Compulsory training for all personnel;• Water conservation and management;• Energy efficiency opportunities;• Vegetation clearing permits – Awareness sessions of internal processesand procedures for clearing; and• Rare & Priority flora – Awareness session of what significant flora speciesexist within the work area.59
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>7.9 Community InvolvementSt Barbara’s participation with the community and stakeholders during the yearinvolved a number of groups and activities as summarised below:• St Barbara staff attending a stall at the Yilgarn Agricultural Show andproviding St Barbara show bags;• Supply of 500 native seedlings to <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> Primary School forNational Schools Tree Day;• Sponsorship of the King of the <strong>Cross</strong> motocross event held annually at<strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong>;• Providing a St Barbara paramedic at the King of the <strong>Cross</strong> to assist localvolunteers in the event of injury/accident;• Liaison with the Shire of Yilgarn regarding planned mining activities andpotential upgrade of the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> airstrip; and• Liaison with local landowners with regard to plans for potential explorationand mining activities which may occur on their properties.60
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>8. <strong>Report</strong>ing and Statutory Liaison8.1 Statutory <strong>Report</strong>ing and RenewalsThe following environmental reports/applications/renewals were submitted to therelevant regulatory authorities during <strong>2008</strong>/<strong>2009</strong>:• <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong> – DMP and DEC;• National Pollutant Inventory – DEC;• Energy Efficiency Opportunities – Department of Climate Change(Commonwealth)• Renewal of EP Act Licence 4597/11 to 4597/12 – DEC;• Notification of Incidents - DEC and DMP; and• <strong>Annual</strong> TSF Audit and Inspection report – DMP and DEC;8.2 Department of Environment and Conservation<strong>Annual</strong> renewal of the EP Act licence 4597/12 was submitted on the DEC website on23 September <strong>2008</strong>. The licence expires on 27 October 2010.Inspections and VisitsAn inspection was conducted by Mr Wayne Astill and Mr Paul McQueen from theDEC’s Kalgoorlie office to verify compliance with St Barbara’s Marvel Loch’s EP ActLicence on 30 June <strong>2009</strong>. Please refer to section 7.2 for further detail.<strong>Environmental</strong> IncidentsSXO notified the DEC of four incidents during the year resulting from saline waterspills, a technical breach of the embankment freeboard within the tailings storagefacility, a process water spill at the process plant, and unauthorised clearing ofvegetation by prospectors at New Zealand Gully. Please refer to section 7.1 forspecific information on each incident.Non-conformances with Licence ConditionsDuring the year, it was noted that one licence condition had erred into a state of nonconformanceduring the year.61
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Specifically this related to the following:• W4(a) - Some poor maintenance of hydrocarbon collection facilities wasnoted during the year.No data was collected during the year to ascertain compliance against condition W11as the one bore in attachment 1 (EP Act Licence 4597/12) was dry for the entire year(please refer to section 7.3).8.3 Department of WaterAs previously reported, SXO amalgamated its eleven groundwater abstraction licencesinto three, and is required to submit an annual Groundwater Licence Review to theDepartment of Water (DoW). This requirement is detailed in the Operating Strategy forGroundwater Well Licence 59227 and 153325. A request to postpone the annualgroundwater licence review for 2007/<strong>2008</strong> til September <strong>2009</strong> was accepted by DoWand a bi-annual groundwater report has since been submitted in accordance with theoperating strategy.8.4 Department of Mines and PetroleumSite VisitMs Rosemarie De Bari and Mr Owen Wilson conducted an inspection of <strong>Southern</strong><strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> 24 November <strong>2008</strong> to verify information contained in the 2007/08<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong>.Rosemarie De Bari also conducted a visit on 18 June <strong>2009</strong> for a review ofenvironmental performance bonds at SXO.8.5 Technical <strong>Report</strong>sDuring the year, the following technical reports were prepared to assist decisionmaking or environmental management activities at SXO:• <strong>Annual</strong> Tailings Storage Audit and Management Review – External auditconducted by Coffey Mining;• Construction <strong>Report</strong> – Raising of TSF2 Cell 1 by 2.5m to RL1037.5m;• Axehandle Achilles Vegetation Survey – flora survey prior to explorationactivities in the Cornishman belt;62
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>• Edwards Find Vegetation Survey – survey of remnant bushland prior toexploration activities and Edwards Find;• Kurrajong Vegetation Survey – Priority Flora survey of the Kurrajongmining area;• Short-Range Endemics (SRE) Survey of <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> –systematic and opportunistic survey of invertebrate fauna;• Heritage Significance of the Edwards Reward Leases – review ofEuropean heritage sites at Edwards Find; and• <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong> Closure Plan – regional assessment of closureliabilities in the <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> region.63
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>9. Other Site and Corporate Initiatives9.1 Energy Efficiency OpportunitiesFurther to the Commonwealth introducing the Energy Efficiency Opportunities (EEO)programme in 2007, St Barbara undertook several reviews during the year to identifyways to improve energy efficiency at SXO. Of the 22 projects investigated, three havebeen endorsed by the Board and are scheduled to be implemented in <strong>2009</strong>/10 (Table9-1).9.2 Water Efficiency Management Plan (WEMP)In recent years as community demand for water has increased, the availability of thisvaluable natural resource has decreased. This makes it more important than ever toemploy water conservation measures. Water use at SXO is currently based on twoseparate distribution streams: a potable water circuit and a saline water circuit. Themajor uses of each of these are given below.Potable WaterPotable water is supplied by the Water Corporation via an offtake from the GoldfieldsWater Supply Scheme pipeline and is used at SXO in the following areas:• Marvel Loch underground - Workshop, offices, washdown, changing rooms,shotcrete plant and dust suppression.• Marvel Loch Process Plant - Ring main, gold room elution circuit,washdown, maintenance area and laboratory area.• Marvel Loch support - Administration, contractor facilities, exploration andESS training.• <strong>Southern</strong> Mines - Nevoria and Burbidge open pit operations.Saline WaterSaline water is derived from local borefields, open pits, tailings storage facility decantdam, Marvel Loch underground mine dewatering and the Nevoria turkeys nest (storagepond). All saline water for site use is stored in the process water dam (PWD) for use inthe processing plant and for dust suppression. Abstraction of groundwater is permittedunder a number of WA Department of Water licenses (recently amalgamated into asingle groundwater well licence – GWL59227(3)), which permits an annual waterentitlement of 8,185,000 kL.64
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>As part of its community focus on water conservation, the Government requires allbusiness customer sites state-wide that use more than 20,000kL of scheme water peryear (of which SXO is one), to participate in the Water Corporation’s WaterwiseBusiness Program by 1 July <strong>2009</strong>. This involves:• Undertaking a Water Management Assessment annually with the WaterCorporation• Developing a Water Efficiency Management Plan (WEMP)• <strong>Annual</strong> review of WEMPs and reporting the progress against the watersavings action planThese are requirements under the Water Agencies (Water Restrictions) By-laws 1998and are mandatory. The primary focus of the Water Corporation and the WEMP isscheme water, however due to the large volume of saline water consumed at SXO, thiscomponent has also been reviewed.SXO’s Water Efficiency Management Plan was accepted and endorsed by WaterCorporation in September <strong>2008</strong>.65
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Table 9-1: Energy Efficiency Projects (EEO) Identified for SXOOpportunityDescriptionUnderground Water Reuse for Dust Suppression Using Re-use water from underground for dust suppression using sprinkler systemsSprinklersUnderground Pump Optimisation – Replace with CentrifugalPumpsVSD or Smaller Pump for 3 Mile DamReplace 90kW Flygt pump with a centrifugal pump. Centrifugal pump may not have to be run as hard and willhave reduced maintenance costsA 90kW pump currently used to pump water from Three Mile Dam, controls excess flow through a by-pass valveto route water back to the dam, pumping water in a loop. Using a smaller pump or VSD to control the currentpump would significantly reduce energy use from this process.66
<strong>2009</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>10. Future Activities10.1 ExplorationThe objective for SXO exploration is to establish a minimum five year mine life, withMarvel Loch Underground supplemented by other sources of high-grade production.Budgets have been structured to allow a greater emphasis on extensional undergrounddrilling in addition to grade control drilling in the immediate mine environments.Exploration targets at SXO for the coming year will also include sources of pastproduction including the Cornishman, Frasers, Corinthian and Copperhead mines. TheFrasers and Copperhead mines have been sources of significant past production in thebelt, with in excess of 1.5M oz produced in aggregate from open cut and undergroundoperations. Full collation of historical records will be conducted to establish JORCcompliantresources on these projects from existing drill data.<strong>Environmental</strong> surveys are planned or have been conducted over the areas likely to betargeted by future exploration.10.2 MiningThe Marvel Loch Underground is the cornerstone of SXO and is expected to be acontinuous source of ore for the <strong>2009</strong>/2010 financial year. As a result of the strategicreview in the June quarter, it was decided to cease open pit mining at <strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong>.There currently are no plans to recommence open pit mining although a number ofhigher grade prospects are being evaluated for the future. Previously, rehabilitationprograms have been designed to utilise synergies with proposed mining projects. Withthe cessation of surface mining activities at SXO, opportunities to source competentwaste rock for legacies is are no longer available, and therefore, rehabilitation will nowfocus on profiling, ripping and seeding of landforms at GVG, Nevoria and BroncoSouth.10.3 ProcessingThe processing plant is now run on a campaign basis, operating for one week on, oneweek off. Further capital has been allocated in the 2010 plan for refurbishment of theprocessing facility with an emphasis on the leach and adsorption tanks, the crushingcircuit and tailings storage facility. Work will also continue on identifying a preferredoption/s for future tailings capacity beyond the limits of current approvals of the existingTSF.67
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>APPENDICESAppendices are provided in the attached CD ROM
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 1Site PlansAchillesBanker Gold MineBlue HazeBrumby, Bronco and Bronco SouthCopperhead and BullfinchCorinthiaCornishmanEdwards FindFrasersGlendowerGolden PigGreenmountGreat Victoria Gold Mine (GVG)Harris FindHerculesKurrajongLenneburgLeviathanMarvel Loch and JaccolettiMary Lena and TreasuryNevoriaPakistani, Vintage Crop, Tenacious Pig, Grand National, Flying PigPilotPolaris SouthRuapehu and Maori Lass<strong>Southern</strong> StarTeddy BearTransvaalTriadYilgarn Star
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 2Tenement Data Sheets
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 3Tailings Storage Facility Data SheetS
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 4Waste Landform Data Sheets
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 5Surface & Groundwater Monitoring Data
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 6Banker Lake Photo Monitoring
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 7Tailings Storage Audit & Management Review
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Environmental</strong> <strong>Report</strong><strong>Southern</strong> <strong>Cross</strong> <strong>Operations</strong>Appendix 8 <strong>Environmental</strong> Protection Act Licence 4597/12& Compliance Table
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