Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Scoping Report – Public Review
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SEPTEMBER 2014 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED POLICE FUEL DEPOT IN NCAUTE SCOPING REPORT – PUBLIC REVIEW MINISTRY OF SAFETY AND SECURITY ENVIRO DYNAMICS CC ii COPYRIGHT © ENVIRO DYNAMICS, 2014. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED PROJECT NAME Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute STAGE OF REPORT Draft Scoping Report for Public Review CLIENT Meyer Consulting Engineers Enquires: Henk Meyer Tel: (061) 258 708 E-Mail: [email protected] LEAD CONSULTANT Enviro Dynamics CC Enquires: Sheldon Husselmann Tel: (061) 223-336 E-Mail: [email protected] DATE OF RELEASE September 2014 CONTRIBUTORS TO Sheldon Husselmann, Quzette Bosman, Eddy Kuliwoye THIS REPORT Internal Reviewer: Norman van Zyl Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Draft Scoping Report for Public Review September 2014 iii DECLARATION I hereby declare that I: have knowledge of and experience in conducting assessments, including knowledge of the Environmental Management Act (7 of 2007), its regulations and guidelines that have relevance to the proposed activity; have performed the work relating to the application in an objective manner, regardless of whether or not the views and findings were favourable to the applicant; have complied with the Act, and its regulations, guidelines and other applicable laws. I also declare that there is, to my knowledge, no information in my possession that reasonably has or may have the potential of influencing – any decision to be taken with respect to the application in terms of the Act and its regulations; or the objectivity of this report, plan or document prepared in terms of the Act and its regulations. Norman van Zyl Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Draft Scoping Report for Public Review September 2014 iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The Ministry of Safety and Security (MSS) intends to construct a fuel depot as part of a police station in the Ncaute Village, located 60 km south of Rundu. This fuel depot will assist the Namibian Police Force to better serve and protect the people located in and around the Ncaute Village. The “[C]onstruction of filling stations or any other facility for the underground or aboveground storage of dangerous goods, including petrol, diesel, liquid petroleum…” is an activity that requires an Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) before it may be undertaken (Republic of Namibia (RN): Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), 2012: s9.5). A Desktop Groundwater Impact Assessment was conducted at a Scoping level by Mr P. Botha PROJECT DESCRIPTION In order to help the local police force to serve the community and fight crime a fuel depot needs to be developed in the Ncaute Village. The nearest fuel station is located in Rundu, approximately 60 km north of the police station. The construction of the depot involves the following: The installation of two 23 m3 Underground Storage Tanks (USTs). The storage tanks will be constructed according to the applicable South African National Standards (SANS) and will be housed in a concrete bunker. The bunker will have a capacity of 101 m3 and will be lined with a fuel resistant sheeting; One tank will store 95 octane petrol and the other diesel; Installation of one suction dispenser pump with 2 hoses – 1 for unleaded petrol and 1 for automotive gas oil (diesel); A leak-proof filler box with the capacity to contain the contents of a bulk fuel delivery vehicle discharge hose and no less than 35 ℓ. All underground fuel lines will be installed in sleeves that start and end in sealed manholes; The dispenser pumps will be located at the centre of a 9 m X 9 m concrete platform with a canopy covering the area of the platform. The platform will be contoured to channel all spilled hydrocarbons to wastewater drains; Installation of a 100 kVA back‐up generator. Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Draft Scoping Report for Public Review September 2014 v Alternatives considered were the ‘no-go’ alternative and Underground Storage Tank (UST) design alternatives. If the proposed project is not implemented fuel needs will most probably be met through the storage of fuel in two 2200 litre above ground steel storage tanks. The police station will then most probably need to downscale its operations owing to lack of available fuel. An increase in negligent behaviour is likely owing to the nature of the rudimentary fuel store. This alternative is therefore not recommended. In terms of UST design the Glass-Reinforced Plastic (GRP) coated steel UST is the preferred alternative because it is has a higher resistance to corrosion than the double-walled steel UST alternative The MSS will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the fuel depot and will accordingly be responsible for training all those who utilise the fuel depot. LEGISLATION AND RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT Various national legal instruments have provisions applicable to the proposed project. The most important provisions are those pertaining to the EIA Regulations, the Petroleum Products Regulations, the Health and Safety Regulations and the Water Act. The proposed project will have an impact on sensitive aspects of the receiving environment, both biophysical and socio-economic. The key environmental sensitivities include those pertaining to groundwater and health and safety. PUBLIC CONSULTATION Public participation was carried out in accordance with the EIA Regulations. Various stakeholders at national, regional and local level were identified and their input solicited. Particular effort was exerted to involve stakeholders at a local level – those living in the Ncaute Village. Based on the comments received during the public meeting held in Ncaute on Wednesday, 28 May 2014, the main concerns were: Perceived exclusion from state-funded provision of fuel, expressed by community members, regarding the fact that the fuel depot was not open to the public; and Concerns regarding employment once the fuel depot becomes operational. Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Draft Scoping Report for Public Review September 2014 vi IMPACT ASSESSMENT The issues identified by Enviro Dynamics and along with those identified during the public consultation process are assessed using a range of assessment criteria. The application of these criteria involves a balanced consideration of duration, extent, and intensity/magnitude, modified by probability, cumulative effects, and confidence in order to determine significance. Mitigation measures are outlined for each impact. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The key impact – Impact on groundwater, and its mitigation measures are outlined below: The pollution of the groundwater in the area is considered an impact with a high significance rating. The main areas of concern are the total failure of the Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) (improbable), oil-water separator soakaway, the need for training of all personnel utilising the fuel depot, sewage management during construction and monitoring and maintenance of the fuel depot. The latter four concerns are linked to highly probable impacts. The mitigation measures prescribed in this report and the EMP are however, sufficient to address this potential impact. It is the opinion of Enviro Dynamics that sufficient information is available to address all impacts identified during this Scoping-Level Environmental Assessment through the recommended mitigation and management actions for the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the proposed project. Should the recommendations included in this report and the EMP be implemented, the significance of the impacts can be reduced to reasonably acceptable standards and durations. Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Draft Scoping Report for Public Review September 2014 vii It is therefore recommended that the proposed project and the following associated activities receive Environmental Clearance with it, provided that the recommendations above and the EMPs are implemented: The construction of a facility for the underground storage of petrol and diesel; and The storage handling of petrol and diesel with a combined capacity of 46 m3. Furthermore the training of applicable MSS personnel should be a condition of approval. Proposed Police Fuel Depot in Ncaute Draft Scoping Report for Public Review September 2014 viii Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLE .................................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................... xi LIST OF APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ xii 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 TERMS OF REFERENCE ............................................................................................... 2 1.3 ADDITIONAL STUDIES ................................................................................................. 2 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................... 3 2.1 NEED FOR THE PROJECT ..........................................................................................