King and Yolande Sustainability Review
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King and Yolande Sustainability Review Outcomes and Commitments Report - June 2021 King and Yolande Sustainability Review team Post: GPO Box 355, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia Email: [email protected] Call: 1300 360 441 (Local call cost Australia-wide) For further information on sustainability reviews and water management: www.hydro.com.au Contents 1.0 Introduction 4 1.1 Background 4 1.2 Hydro Tasmania’s Water Management Review Program 4 2.0 The King-Yolande Sustainability Review Stages 6 2.1 Stage 1 - Information Review 6 2.2 Stage 2 – Stakeholder Consultation 7 2.3 Stage 3 – Technical and Social Studies 7 2.4 Stage 4 – Outcomes and Commitments 7 3.0 Outcomes and Commitments 8 3.1 Community Engagement and Involvement 8 3.2 Recreational Access 9 3.3 Biodiversity 10 3.4 Water Quality 11 3.5 Weed Management 12 3.6 Aboriginal and Historic Heritage 13 4.0 Conclusion 14 5.0 Acknowledgements 15 6.0 For More Information 15 Hydro Tasmania King and Yolande Sustainability Review - Outcomes and Commitments Report - June 2021 3 1. Introduction he King and Yolande hydropower schemes (comprised of John Butters and Upper and Lower Lake Margaret power stations) provide a highly valued and reliable source of electricity. The total installed capacity of the hydropower schemes is 154.6 MW and the average annual generation is almost 600 gigawatt hours, which is 6.4 per cent of the total hydropower system in Tasmania. Construction of the King and Yolande hydropower schemes has resulted in the creation of Lake Burbury (King scheme) and Lake Margaret (Yolande scheme). These storages have resulted in alterations to the natural flow of downstream rivers and streams. This report documents the findings, outcomes and commitments of the Lake Margaret woodstave pipeline King-Yolande Sustainability Review. 1.1 Background 1.2 Hydro Tasmania’s Sustainability is a core value for Hydro Tasmania, Water Management underpinned by a commitment to create a sustainable Review Program future. Being sustainable involves the application of economic, environmental, social and governance Our Water Management Review program was initiated considerations to business decisions and activities. in 1999. It aims to review water and land management activities across the six major hydropower catchments We believe that these considerations will help drive in Tasmania. long-term business success and allow successive generations to enjoy the benefits of a clean energy future. Part of sustainable management is making sure that the Our Sustainability Code and Environmental Policy land and water resources we manage are available for all to are available on Hydro Tasmania’s website at use for years to come. As such, the review is undertaken www.hydro.com.au. in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders and considers impacts on environmental, social and economic Our commitment to support and collaborate with our conditions within the catchments. customers and the community is captured in Hydro Tasmania’s Recreation Principles. These principles Once a catchment has been assessed, a series of actions provide direction to facilitate recreation on our land are identified and evaluated to determine which ones and waterways for the benefit of all. would most improve management of the resource and deliver the greatest benefit most efficiently. We make commitments to the community about specific actions that lead to improved outcomes for environmental and social values in the catchment. 4 Hydro Tasmania King and Yolande Sustainability Review - Outcomes and Commitments Report - June 2021 Lake Margaret tramway In 2013 our approach to catchment reviews changed from ‘Water Management Review’ to ‘Sustainability Review’. This approach is intended to align Hydro Tasmania with the International Hydropower Association’s (IHA) Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol (HSAP) and the current known environmental and social status of the catchments as the basis for the sustainability review. The approach to identifying issues and opportunities provided by the protocol delivers consistency and clarity amongst hydropower projects world-wide. The IHA Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Gap Analysis Tool (www.hydrosustainability.org/esg-tool) was used during Stage 1 of the Sustainability Review, to assess Hydro Tasmania’s current sustainability practises in the King and Yolande catchments. Hydro Tasmania King and Yolande Sustainability Review - Outcomes and Commitments Report - June 2021 5 2.0 The King-Yolande Sustainability Review Stages The King - Yolande Sustainability Review is 2.1 Stage 1 - Information the fifth catchment review we’ve undertaken. The review is focussed on the King and Review Yolande catchments, which encompass four Stage 1 of the review commenced in 2019 and focused key waterways: Lake Burbury, the King River, on collecting, summarising, and publishing consolidated Lake Margaret and the Yolande River, on the information on operational, social and environmental west coast of Tasmania. The review is an (including water quality) aspects of the King and Yolande hydropower schemes. opportunity for us to assess our current land and water management, and, in consultation with The IHA’s ESG Gap Analysis Tool was used to assess stakeholders, identify areas where improvements the hydropower schemes to identify where there are to sustainable management practices can be opportunities for improvement and where the schemes are performing well in the social and environmental space. implemented. Stage 1 was completed in September 2019 and culminated The sustainability review was completed in four stages: in the public release of the Information Review summary 1. Information review report and a number of fact sheets, which can be found on our website. 2. Stakeholder consultation 3. Technical and social studies 4. Outcomes and commitments. This report summarises the sustainability review process, as well as the outcomes and commitments that we have made to improve the sustainability of our operations in the King and Yolande catchments. Upper Lake Margaret Power Station from above 6 Hydro Tasmania King and Yolande Sustainability Review - Outcomes and Commitments Report - June 2021 Community consultation 2.2 Stage 2 – Stakeholder 2.3 Stage 3 – Technical and Consultation Social Studies Community and stakeholder consultation was initiated We conducted three technical studies to investigate key via an information session for the general public in issues raised in Stages 1 and 2. These studies included: Queenstown in September 2019, followed by discussions with key stakeholders including the West Coast Council, • Lake Burbury short-tailed rain crayfish Ombrastacoides( the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS), and the Tasmanian parvicaudatus) survey Salmonid Growers Association. During these conversations, • Assessment of legacy metal loads entering Lake stakeholders and the general community were invited to Burbury via Linda and Idaho Creeks complete a consultation survey, which was also promoted on our website and social media pages, by the West Coast • Weeds survey and management. Community Services Hub, and on 7XS Queenstown radio. A summary of the context, aims, outcomes and The aim of the consultation survey was to gain a greater commitments for each study, together with other areas of understanding of community values and concerns relating investigation (including social), is provided in Section 3 of to the waterways within the King and Yolande catchments, this report. and areas where opportunities for improvement might exist (that would be possible under our operations). 2.4 Stage 4 – Outcomes and Direct stakeholder engagement was supported by more general engagement opportunities associated with Commitments our Community Program, local staff, school outreach Informed by an understanding of stakeholder issues programs, and participation in community-based and the outcomes from the technical studies and social committees. investigations, commitments to improve the management Stage 2 was completed in February 2020 and a summary of environmental, social, and cultural heritage values and of the outcomes can be found on our website. issues have been identified in Section 3 of this report. Hydro Tasmania King and Yolande Sustainability Review - Outcomes and Commitments Report - June 2021 7 3.0 Outcomes and Commitments We have been actively working to address Outcomes: issues raised and a number of outcomes have • Maintained engagement and involvement with been achieved. We remain committed to catchment communities (Queenstown and strengthening our community involvement in Gormanston) through activities such as our Community the King-Yolande region. The key contexts, Grants process, local community events and initiatives aims, outcomes and commitments are such as The Unconformity, power station open days, summarised below under the main themes of resident employees and our education outreach program. the review including: community engagement and involvement, recreational access, • Community feedback directly influenced the biodiversity, water quality, weed management identification of priority investigations undertaken and Aboriginal and historic heritage. in Stage 3 of the review. This included the weed management study (see section 3.5) and investigation into collaborative opportunities at the Harris Reward Trail with Sustainable Timbers Tasmania (STT), Mineral Resources Tasmania (MRT) and RoamWild 3.1 Community Engagement (see section 3.2). and Involvement • We have an agreement with