Southern Cross Operations Annual Environmental Report 2008 - 2009

2009 Annual Environmental ReportSouthern Cross Operations1. IntroductionThis Annual Environmental Report (AER) summarises the operational andenvironmental activities associated with St Barbara Limited’s (St Barbara) SouthernCross Operations (SXO) for the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009. 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 Southern Cross region of Western Australia. The township ofSouthern Cross 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 Southern Cross. SXO tenements are predominately located inthe Shire of Yilgarn, with several tenements overlapping into the Shires of Kondinin,Lake Grace and Kulin.In the 2008/2009 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 Southern Cross 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