Southern Cross Operations Annual Environmental Report 2008 - 2009

2009 Annual Environmental ReportSouthern Cross Operations9. 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 2009/10 (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.• Southern 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