Stewart
writes: I attended the last Dargues Reef CCC meeting on 30 September
as an observer, and since then my nomination has been formally
accepted so that I will be able to fully participate in the next CCC
meeting to be held on 16 December. I hope I will be able to do
Coastwatchers’ interests justice, as I have had relevant experience
in my past career in geology and environmental management in mining.
This experience includes developing and organising consultative
groups for the environmental and social impacts of uranium mining in
the Northern Territory, a nd implementing operational procedures for
the regulation of mining in Queensland, as well as environmental
auditing of mine sites.
The
September CCC meeting was almost entirely dedicated to noise;
presentations were made by the NSW EPA on regulatory requirements and
how monitoring is undertaken, and by the company and Majors Creek
residents on a number of issues which have arisen. Perhaps the most
significant issue is noise at night. Negotiations have focussed on
noise and vibration from blasting, and when ore processing operations
begin, crushing and truck movement timetables. Currently the local
community is pressing to have ore stockpiled underground at night,
with truck movements to the crusher limited to daylight hours.
A
short presentation was made to the company at this meeting about the
unplanned release of water on 17 September, when an incorrectly
graded slope related to construction of the tailings dam allowed
sediment-laden water to flow into Spring Creek. The data presented
related only to the timing and volume of water flow: flow before the
event was below 10 litres per second and peaked at 80 litres per
second; flow returned to less than 10 l/s on 20 September.
Representatives of NSW EPA visited the site on 17 September, water
samples were taken, and a diversion drain was constructed that day to
stop the flow of water into Spring Creek. Unfortunately no data was
presented at the CCC meeting or since regarding water quality and the
extent to which any effects may have extended downstream. I have been
pressing the chair of the CCC and the company for that information. I
was informed by the company on 21 November that a report on the
monitoring data has been drafted and will be uploaded to their
website once approved. I believe the company has met the regulatory
requirements for management of this unplanned release and subsequent
reporting, but that community expectations are not reflected in the
long time it is taking to report on water quality. I intend to pursue
this matter at the next CCC, and stress that monitoring data related
to unplanned water releases needs to be publicised fully and quickly
to all downstream stakeholders. Delays in releasing such information
can only perpetuate (or increase) negative opinions about the Dargues
Reef project.
Resignation
of the environmental manager
The
The HSEC Manager (Health, Safety Environment & Community) has
recently resigned and his last day is 22 November. The position of
Senior Environmental Advisor
is still vacant.
Water
Management Plan for the Operational Phase
The
operational phase of mining (open stope blasting, ore trucking, ore
processing to produce concentrate, and trucking concentrate off-site)
is planned to begin during the next 6 months. A Water Management Plan
is being drafted for the operational phase. I has been given an
assurance by NSW EPA that Coastwatchers will have the opportunity to
comment on the draft prior to it being finalised. Key issues for us
will relate to water quality monitoring, inclusion of parameters
relating to downstream water quality risks, and release of monitoring
data.
Public
presentation and project update
The
company held a public information forum in Majors Creek on the
evening of 18 November. Key points were:
-
Construction
of the Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) is nearly complete and
placement of the High Density Polyethelyne (HDPE) liner is in
progress.
-
Licenced
water bores have been installed into old mine workings (Snobs and
Stewart & Mertons), and one ‘Harvestable Rights Dam’ has
been built (these will allow the company to source water for mine
operations, and also to maintain water flow in Spring Creek).
-
24/7
underground mining operations began in September with over 2,000
metres of underground development completed. The first stope firing
will take place in the next 6 months.
-
Construction
of the processing plant is 80% complete; commissioning
is expected by the end of February, with transport of
concentrate to Port Kembla beginning in that month.
-
During
the next 6 months, more ‘Harvestable Rights Dams’ will be built
and tailings deposition into the TSF will begin.
A
slide presentation from the public information session is on the
company website:
www.divminerals.com.au
Information
is also posted on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/DivMinerals/
