CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY PROPOSED UPGRADE OF THE HILLVIEW SEWER RISING MAIN AND SOUTHERN OUTFALL BULK SEWER PIPELINE IN EMPANGENI, KWAZULU-NATAL VEGETATION ASSESSMENT AND WETLAND DELINEATION CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY PROPOSED UPGRADE OF THE HILLVIEW SEWER RISING MAIN AND SOUTHERN OUTFALL BULK SEWER PIPELINE IN EMPANGENI, KWAZULU-NATAL VEGETATION ASSESSMENT AND WETLAND DELINEATION Draft 2 Prepared for: Prepared by: City of uMhlathuze Municipality ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants Private Bag X1004 PO Box 503 Richards Bay Mtunzini 3900 3867 July 2014 CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY PROPONENT Proponent: City of uMhlathuze Municipality Contact person: Bestman Mbhamali Physical address: 5 Mark Strasse, Central Business District, Richards Bay Postal address: Private Bag X1004, Richards Bay 3900 Telephone: 035 907 5463 / 083 635 0803 Fax: 035 907 5452 Email [email protected] INDEPENDENT VEGETATION SPECIALIST Consultant: ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants Contact person: Liesl Mostert Physical address: Suites 5&6, Golden Penny Centre, 26 Hely Hutchinson Road, Mtunzini Postal address: PO Box 503, Mtunzini, 3867 Telephone: 035 340 2715 Fax: 035 340 2232 Email [email protected] DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE I hereby declare that I acted as the independent specialist in this application; I do not have and will not have any financial interest in the undertaking of the activity, other than remuneration for work performed in terms of NEMA and the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2010; I have and will not have a vested interest in the proposed activity proceeding. Signed: ………………………………….. Date: ……………………. 2014 PROPOSED UPGRADING OF THE HILLVIEW SEWER RISING MAIN AND SOUTHERN OUTFALL BULK SEWER PIPELINE IN EMPANGENI CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY, KWAZULU-NATAL VEGETATION ASSESSMENT AND WETLAND DELINEATION II CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ACER (Africa) Environmental Management Consultants was appointed by UWP Consulting (Pty) Ltd, on behalf of the City of uMhlathuze Municipality, to conduct a Basic Assessment in terms of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, 2010, published under Section 24 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998), for the proposed Southern Outfall Sewer Upgrade in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal. This included a specialist vegetation assessment and wetland delineation. The proposed Southern Outfall Sewer Upgrade in Empangeni falls within the City of uMhlathuze Local Municipality and the uThungulu District Municipality. The frequent localized over-flow problems, are a result of old and undersized existing pipelines. The upgrade will entail the installation of a new rising main which will flow from the Hillview Pumping Station for approximately 1.5 km into an existing discharge chamber, and a new gravity main sewer pipeline, which will run from the discharge chamber for approximately 5.3 km and into the Empangeni Waste Water Treatment Works. The Riparian Areas found within the study area, are classified as Riparian Forests and indicated as an azonal vegetation type. Lowveld Riverine Forest is listed as a vulnerable ecosystem by the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act 10 of 2004). Riparian areas are important for their water management function, the protection and enhancement of water resources, and provision of habitat for plant and animal species. Riparian habitats are considered sensitive ecosystems. EKZNW’s MINSET data indicates that there are no biodiversity priority areas on site, a large section of the area is indicated as “transformed”. Kniphofia littoralis is the only plant species of conservation concern highlighted by EKZNW’s MINSET data. However, the potential for K. littoralis to occur within the study area is low. Maputaland Coastal Belt, Zululand Coastal Thornveld and Lowveld Riverine Forest vegetation types were recorded in the study area. There are no formal conservation areas in the study area. During the site visit, the following two vegetation communities were identified on site: Syzygium cordatum – Bridelia micrantha riverine community. Sporobolus pyramidalis – Chromolaena odorata disturbed grassland community. These plant communities are experiencing several threats, including: pollution from sewerage overflows; sedimentation from erosion caused by housing developments within the buffer of the riverine areas; and invasion by alien invasive species. These alien invasives need urgent control measures to improve ecosystem functionality. According to the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act 43 of 1983), several of these alien invasives need to be controlled or eradicated. Site visits were performed outside of the flowering time of many of the red listed plants that have the potential to occur on site. Due to this limitation, the ecologist visiting the site was unable to detect many red listed plants. Even though the site has experienced disturbance in the past, it is recommended that a search and rescue operation is undertaken prior to construction to find any Threatened or Protected species or any other species of concern, particularly in the riparian habitats. Permits will be required to remove or destroy protected plant species. Several protected trees have the potential to occur on site. Protected trees require a licence if the trees were to be removed or damaged, according to the National Forests Act, 1998 (Act 84 of 1998). Barringtonia racemosa was recorded in the study area. There were no wetlands recorded in the study area. There were, however, riparian habitats along the banks of the Mkumbane and Mpangeni rivers (identified as the Syzygium cordatum – Bridelia PROPOSED UPGRADING OF THE HILLVIEW SEWER RISING MAIN AND SOUTHERN OUTFALL BULK SEWER PIPELINE IN EMPANGENI CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY, KWAZULU-NATAL VEGETATION ASSESSMENT AND WETLAND DELINEATION III CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY micrantha riverine community). These riparian vegetation performs important ecological functions including river bank stabilisation and flood protection; and also provide important refugia for fauna, particularly the birds that are found in the area. In addition, rivers are considered important movement corridors or ecological linkages within a landscape. The riparian areas are considered a sensitive ecosystem and should be avoided if possible. Construction within this community will require a Water Use Licence Application. The Syzygium cordatum – Bridelia micrantha riverine community, falls within level 2 of the uMhlathuze Environmental Services Management Plan (ESMP), and hence no development should be permitted in this zone. The main potential impacts of the project on the vegetation and riparian habitats are negative and include river pollution, the loss and degradation of riparian and grassland vegetation and loss and degradation of soils. These impacts in turn threaten the integrity of the riparian zone and the protective functions it performs. A number of recommendations to mitigate impacts (including alien vegetation control measures) have been recommended. With mitigation, the project is not anticipated to have negative impacts on vegetation or riparian habitats that are considered to be of high significance. PROPOSED UPGRADING OF THE HILLVIEW SEWER RISING MAIN AND SOUTHERN OUTFALL BULK SEWER PIPELINE IN EMPANGENI CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY, KWAZULU-NATAL VEGETATION ASSESSMENT AND WETLAND DELINEATION IV CITY OF UMHLATHUZE MUNICIPALITY TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... III TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................ VI LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................. VII LIST OF PLATES ................................................................................................................................ VIII ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ................................................................................................... IX AUTHORS .............................................................................................................................................. X 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Approach to the vegetation assessment and wetland delineation ...................................... 3 1.3 Assumptions and limitations ................................................................................................ 3 1.4 Information sources ............................................................................................................. 3 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ............................................................... 4 2.1 Vegetation assessment ....................................................................................................... 4 2.1.1 Threatened terrestrial ecosystems and conservation areas ...................................