Subterranean Fauna Level 1 Assessment
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Blue Hills Mungada East Expansion: Subterranean Fauna Level 1 Assessment Prepared for: Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Limited November 2015 Final Report Mungada East Expansion: Subterranean Fauna Assessment SMC Blue Hills Mungada East Expansion: Subterranean Fauna Level 1 Assessment Bennelongia Pty Ltd 5 Bishop Street Jolimont WA 6014 P: (08) 9285 8722 F: (08) 9285 8811 E: [email protected] ABN: 55 124 110 167 Report Number: 242 Report Version Prepared by Reviewed by Submitted to Client Method Date Draft Danilo Harms Stuart Halse email 30 June 2015 Final Danilo Harms Stuart Halse email 3 November 2015 K:?Projects/B_ECO_04/BEC_Mungada_subfaunat_final3xi15a.docx This document has been prepared to the requirements of the Client and is for the use by the Client, its agents, and Bennelongia Environmental Consultants. Copyright and any other Intellectual Property associated with the document belongs to Bennelongia Environmental Consultants and may not be reproduced without written permission of the Client or Bennelongia. No liability or responsibility is accepted in respect of any use by a third party or for purposes other than for which the document was commissioned. Bennelongia has not attempted to verify the accuracy and completeness of information supplied by the Client. © Copyright 2015 Bennelongia Pty Ltd. i Mungada East Expansion: Subterranean Fauna Assessment SMC EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background Sinosteel Midwest Corporation Limited (SMC) are planning an expansion of the Blue Hills mine, located in the Midwest region of Western Australia ca. 70 km to the east of Koolanooka. This mine is part of the Blue Hills Iron Ore (DSO) Project and partially located on Mungada Ridge, which is recognised by the EPA as an environmentally sensitive area. The Blue Hills Mungada East Expansion will involve: the construction and operation of one new open mine pit at Mungada East, haul roads; processing of ore at a new processing plant which is located off the Ridge to the southeast of the pit; the backfilling of the existing Mungada East pit with waste rock; and the storage of the remaining waste rock at a new waste dump located immediately adjacent to the infrastructure area to the north. Subterranean fauna are animals that spend all, or most, of their lifecycle underground and are morphologically adapted to the subterranean environment. These adaptations include a pallid colouration, reduction or loss of eyes, and well-developed sensory organs. Subterranean fauna species mostly have very small ranges and are particularly vulnerable to extinction from anthropogenic activities and hence, are a factor in environmental impact assessments of projects involving areas of soil excavation and dewatering. This report examines the subterranean fauna habitat at Mungada East, reviews results of previous surveys in the area, and assesses the risk to subterranean fauna associated with the proposed Blue Hills Mungada East Expansion. Findings The proposed Mungada East pit of the Blue Hills Iron Ore Project is located within a much larger deposit of continuous BIF that extends from the southwest the northeast in an otherwise flat landscape of the eastern Yilgarn craton. A hydrological assessment found negligible to small groundwater yields and the subterranean strata contain a high proportion of clay, orthoquartzite at depth. The only stygofauna species that has been collected in the vicinity is a cyclopoid copepod, probably belonging to the cosmopolitan species Microcyclops varicans. Stygofauna are unlikely to be significantly impacted at Mungada East because of the apparently depauperate stygofauna community in the vicinity of the development envelope, unsuitable habitat for stygofauna in and around the proposed mine pit and that groundwater drawdown will not be required for the Proposal. No troglofauna were recorded during a past troglofauna survey at the Project but a small number of troglofauna species have been recorded from banded iron formation (BIF) habitats in the vicinity of the Project. An assessment of diamond drill cores suggested that troglofauna habitat may be present and a reconnaissance survey was carried out between 25 August and 14 October 2015 to determine the significance of the community that may occur. Fourteen drill holes in the proposed pit were sampled but the only troglofauna collected were five juvenile hemipterans belonging to the family Meenopliidae. These specimens had eye spots and may be troglophiles rather than troglobites. No other troglofauna species were collected. The results of the desktop assessment together with the field survey results indicate that the subterranean fauna community of Mungada East is extremely depauperate. The orebody to be mined at the Project lies within a host BIF unit that extends about 10 km in a southwest-northeast direction. The proposed mine pit will occupy only 10.6 ha, or <1% of the area of the host unit. It is expected that all of the very few troglofauna species in the development envelope will be more widespread. ii Mungada East Expansion: Subterranean Fauna Assessment SMC It is concluded that stygofauna and troglofauna are unlikely to be significantly impacted by the proposed expansion of mining operations at Mungada East. The habitat in and around the proposed mine pit is unsuitable for stygofauna and no groundwater drawdown will be required. Only one species of troglofauna was collected in the current, and previous, field surveys and this species is likely to be a troglophile with potential for surface dispersal. Only a small number of troglofauna species are known from the vicinity and there are extensive areas of banded iron formation around the proposed mine pit to provide continuity of troglofauna habitat with surrounding areas. The proposed mine pit is relatively small in relation to the extent of available habitat. Thus, the likelihood of significant impacts on subterranean fauna as a result of the proposed mine expansion is considered to be extremely low. iii Mungada East Expansion: Subterranean Fauna Assessment SMC CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... ii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Subterranean Fauna .......................................................................................... 1 1.2. Conservation Framework .................................................................................. 4 2. Habitat Assessment .................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Climate ................................................................................................................. 4 2.2. Geology ............................................................................................................... 5 2.3. Hydrogeology ..................................................................................................... 5 2.4. Land Systems ....................................................................................................... 7 2.5. Drill Cores ............................................................................................................. 9 3. Subterranean fauna ................................................................................................ 9 3.1. Subterranean Fauna in the Yilgarn .................................................................. 9 3.1.1. Troglofauna .................................................................................................... 9 3.1.2. Stygofauna .................................................................................................. 11 3.2. Subterranean Fauna at Blue Hills ................................................................... 11 3.2.1. Database and Literature Searches.......................................................... 11 3.2.2. Ecological Communities ............................................................................ 11 3.2.3. Listed Species .............................................................................................. 12 3.2.4. Likelihood of Troglofauna Species ........................................................... 12 3.2.5. Likelihood of stygofauna species ............................................................. 12 4. field survey ............................................................................................................... 13 4.1. Field and Laboratory Methods ....................................................................... 13 4.2. Sampling Results ............................................................................................... 15 5. Mining Impacts ....................................................................................................... 15 5.1. Mining Activities Relevant to Subterranean Fauna ..................................... 15 5.2. Potential Impacts on Subterranean Fauna .................................................. 15 5.2.1. Project Impacts on Stygofauna ................................................................ 15 5.2.2. Project Impacts on Troglofauna ............................................................... 15 6. .Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 16 7. References .............................................................................................................. 17 Appendix