Heritage Impact Assessment of Sappi Saiccor Amakhulu Expansion, Umkomaas, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
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HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF SAPPI SAICCOR AMAKHULU EXPANSION, UMKOMAAS, KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA Assessment and report by Box 20057 Ashburton 3213 PIETERMARITZBURG South Africa Telephone 033 326 1136 Facsimile 086 672 8557 082 655 9077 [email protected] for WSP Environmental Consultants Telephone Vicki King 031 240 8861 25 October 2005 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF SAPPI SAICCOR AMAKHULU EXPANSION, UMKOMAAS, KWAZULU-NATAL Management summary eThembeni Cultural Heritage was appointed by WSP Environmental Consultants to undertake a heritage impact assessment of the proposed expansion of the Sappi Saiccor Mill near Umkomaas, in terms of the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act No 10 of 1997. One eThembeni staff member inspected the proposed development site on 19 October 2005 and completed a controlled- exclusive surface survey, as well as a database and literature search. We identified no heritage resources of significance, as defined in the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act 1997 and the criteria contained in the Appendix to this report, on the property. If permission is granted for development to proceed, the client is reminded that the Act requires that a developer cease all work immediately and notify Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali should any heritage resources, as defined in the Act, be discovered during the course of development activities. We have submitted this report to Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali in fulfilment of the requirements of the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act. The client may contact Ms Elize Becker at Amafa’s Pietermaritzburg office (telephone 033 3946 543) in due course to enquire about the Council’s decision. eThembeni Cultural Heritage for WSP Environmental Consultants Page 2 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF SAPPI SAICCOR AMAKHULU EXPANSION, UMKOMAAS, KWAZULU-NATAL Introduction eThembeni Cultural Heritage was appointed by WSP Environmental Consultants to undertake a heritage impact assessment of the proposed Amakhulu expansion of the Sappi Saiccor Mill near Umkomaas, in terms of the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act No 10 of 1997. Section 27(1) of the Act requires such an assessment in case of: (a) construction of a road, wall, power line, pipeline, canal or other similar form of linear development or barrier exceeding 300 m in length; (b) construction of a bridge or similar structure exceeding 50 m in length; and (c) any development, or other activity which will change the character of an area of land, or water – (i) exceeding 10 000 m2 in extent; (ii) involving three or more existing erven or subdivisions thereof; or (iii) involving three or more erven, or subdivisions thereof, which have been consolidated within the past five years; or (d) the costs of which will exceed a sum set in terms of regulations; or (e) any other category of development provided for in regulations. A heritage impact assessment is not limited to archaeological artefacts, historical buildings and graves. It is far more encompassing and includes intangible and invisible resources such as places, oral traditions and rituals. In the KwaZulu-Natal Heritage Act 1997 a heritage resource is defined any place or object of cultural significance i.e. of aesthetic, architectural, historical, scientific, social, spiritual, linguistic or technological value or significance. This includes the following wide range of places and objects: (a) places, buildings, structures and equipment; (b) places to which oral traditions are attached or which are associated with living heritage; (c) historical settlements and townscapes; (d) landscapes and natural features; (e) geological sites of scientific or cultural importance; (f) archaeological and palaeontological sites; (g) graves and burial grounds, including - (i) ancestral graves, (ii) royal graves and graves of traditional leaders, (iii) graves of victims of conflict, (iv) graves of important individuals, (v) historical graves and cemeteries older than 60 years, and (vi) other human remains which are not covered under the Human Tissues Act, 1983 (Act No.65 of 1983 as amended); (h) movable objects, including - (i) objects recovered from the soil or waters of South Africa including archaeological and palaeontological objects and material, meteorites and rare geological specimens; (ii) ethnographic art and objects; (iii) military objects; (iv) objects of decorative art; (v) objects of fine art; (vi) objects of scientific or technological interest; (vii) books, records, documents, photographic positives and negatives, graphic, film or video material or sound recordings; and (viii) any other prescribed categories, but excluding any object made by a living person; (i) battlefields; (j) traditional building techniques. eThembeni Cultural Heritage for WSP Environmental Consultants Page 3 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF SAPPI SAICCOR AMAKHULU EXPANSION, UMKOMAAS, KWAZULU-NATAL Nature and description of proposed activities The Sappi Saiccor Mill, located in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal, proposes to expand its chemical cellulose production from about 580 000 to approximately 810 000 tons per annum to meet customer demand. The global demand for chemical cellulose is increasing steadily, placing increasing pressure on Saiccor to supply its existing customer base and resulting in the announcement of several competitor capacity expansions around the world. In order to maintain its competitive position, Saiccor plans to expand its operations, and in so doing, to stimulate economic growth and job creation in the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast. The project will involve the upgrading and introduction of a variety of components: o Upgrading of existing chipping lines or installation of new lines and closing some existing lines, o Using an area in the adjacent sugar cane farm for log storage over Christmas and peak overflow period, o New internal logistics and weighbridge, o Additions to Eskom Rayon Substation, o A new dry solids magnesium oxide recovery boiler, wet stack, bleach plant and pulp drying machine, o Modifications to the existing chlorine dioxide plant and conversion of some calcium digesters to magnesium digesters, o Additional calcium washing modifications, o A new set of magnesium digesters and associated infrastructure, including storage and cooling towers, o New air compressors, driers, evaporator plant and turbine/generator and o Additional workshops, stores and control rooms as required. Site description and environmental issues The Sappi Saiccor Mill is located at 30 10 59.5S; 30 46 37.0E. Access is via the N2 freeway south of Durban. Take the Umkomaas exit and turn north onto Saiccor Road. Travel for four kilometres to a T- junction and turn right. The mill entrance is located 500 metres along this road. The proposed expansion comprises about five hectares of land that have been modified seriously by residential and industrial activities; surrounding land uses are residential and light industrial. The proposed process changes will reduce coal demand at the mill, reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from the site. The plant changes will also reduce fugitive emissions. Extensive ambient air quality monitoring is currently undertaken around the mill. This information will be studied as part of the scoping process and if there are issues relating to air quality and the expansion, modelling of potential emissions will be undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment phase of the process. There could be an increase in noise on the site due to the proposed additional plant. Increased road traffic will also affect surrounding noise levels. If these changes are significant, baseline noise monitoring will be undertaken. Predicted noise as a result of the expansion will then be modelled and noise emission limits identified, with consideration of the nearest sensitive receptors. Air quality in the area is likely to improve as a result of the expansion, resulting in positive health impacts. A health assessment will be undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment phase of the project if necessary. Traffic to the plant will increase as more timber will be delivered to and more product removed from the site. Saiccor will undertake a traffic survey and assessment as part of the project feasibility. If this assessment concludes that the expansion could affect present traffic levels significantly, a traffic impact assessment will be undertaken as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment phase of the project. The amount of effluent produced from the mill is not expected to increase as a result of the project and the quality of the effluent will improve. Predicted changes in effluent quality and quantity will be examined as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process if required. eThembeni Cultural Heritage for WSP Environmental Consultants Page 4 HERITAGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF SAPPI SAICCOR AMAKHULU EXPANSION, UMKOMAAS, KWAZULU-NATAL No additional water will be required for the expansion and it is likely that mill’s water consumption will be reduced. Between 100 and 150 permanent jobs will be available as a result of the expansion, while temporary jobs will also be created during the construction phase of the project. Methodology One eThembeni staff member inspected the development area on 19 October 2005. Soil surface visibility was good and we completed a controlled-exclusive surface survey, where ‘sufficient information exists on an area to make solid and defensible assumptions and judgements about where [heritage resource] sites may and may not be’ and ‘an inspection of the surface of the ground, wherever this surface is visible,