Response to Submissions
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Albany Iron Ore Project Albany Port Expansion Proposal PUBLIC ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW RESPONSE TO PUBLIC SUBMISSIONS Albany Port Authority Albany Port Expansion Proposal EPA Assessment No. 1594 August 2008 i Document Status Rev Author Reviewer/s Date Approved for Issue No. Name Distributed Date To 9 S. Dolbel P. Mackey 11/07/08 V Ee B Corry 11/07/08 V Ee P Mackey 10 T. Souster P. Mackey 01/08/08 G. Crockford 11 T. Souster ecologia Environment (2008). Reproduction of this report in whole or in part by electronic, mechanical or chemical means including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, in any language, is strictly prohibited without the express approval of Albany Port authority and/or ecologia Environment. Restrictions on Use This report has been prepared specifically for Albany Port Authority. Neither the report nor its contents may be referred to or quoted in any statement, study, report, application, prospectus, loan, or other agreement document, without the express approval of Albany Port Authority and/or ecologia Environment. ecologia Environment 1025 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005 Phone: 08 9322 1944 Fax: 08 9322 1599 Email: [email protected] ii Table of Contents 1.0 Responses to submissions ....................................................................................1 2.0 Stakeholder Engagement........................................................................................2 2.1 Compensation ...........................................................................................................3 3.0 Project Justification.................................................................................................5 4.0 Project Description..................................................................................................7 4.1 Project Timing............................................................................................................7 5.0 Environmental Offsets...........................................................................................10 6.0 The Project Environment and Potential Environmental Impacts and Management...........................................................................................................11 6.1 The Project Environment .........................................................................................11 6.2 Modelling .................................................................................................................16 6.3 Environmental Impacts ............................................................................................22 6.4 Sediment Chemistry ................................................................................................23 6.5 Benthic Primary Producer Habitat ...........................................................................26 6.5.1 BPPH Mapping.............................................................................................26 6.5.2 Seagrass......................................................................................................29 6.5.3 Coral.............................................................................................................33 6.6 Marine Fauna ..........................................................................................................38 6.7 Fisheries and Aquaculture.......................................................................................41 6.8 Terrestrial Fauna .....................................................................................................51 6.9 Noise and Vibration .................................................................................................51 6.10 Visual Amenity.........................................................................................................54 6.11 Air Quality Dust........................................................................................................57 6.12 Social and Cultural Environment .............................................................................57 6.13 Monitoring................................................................................................................59 6.14 Dredge Management...............................................................................................68 6.15 Evaluation of Disposal Sites ....................................................................................69 6.15.1 Disposal Site Stability...................................................................................69 6.15.2 Evaluation of Alternative Sites .....................................................................71 6.15.3 Disposal Site Epifauna and Infauna.............................................................72 7.0 Miscellaneous ........................................................................................................74 8.0 Figures....................................................................................................................77 9.0 Revised Dredge Program and Modelling Outputs ..............................................85 9.1 Dredge and Land Reclamation Program .................................................................85 9.1.1 Channel Design............................................................................................85 9.1.2 Dredging.......................................................................................................85 9.1.3 Land Reclamation ........................................................................................85 9.1.4 Offshore Disposal.........................................................................................85 9.2 New Information ......................................................................................................89 9.3 Remodelling of Turbidity Generation .......................................................................89 iii 9.3.1 For the Period July to October .....................................................................89 9.3.2 For the Period November to February .........................................................92 9.3.3 For the Period March to June.......................................................................95 9.4 Impacts to BPPH .....................................................................................................98 9.4.1 Berth Pocket Dredging.................................................................................98 9.4.2 Combined Berth Pocket and Channel Dredging ........................................102 10.0 References ...........................................................................................................107 Figures Figure 6-1: Cross section of Channel and Berth pocket.................................................44 Figure 6-2: Flat seabed without wave action..................................................................70 Figure 8-1: Drain option, concept B Berth Location........................................................78 Figure 8-2: Marine Habitat in the Albany area Identified as worthy of Consideration for Reserve (A Representative Marine Reserve System for Western Australia, CALM 1994).................................................................................................79 Figure 8-3: Habitat map of Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound study area .....................................................................................................................80 Figure 8-4: Ground Truthing Locations for Habitat Mapping of Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound study area.............................................................81 Figure 8-5: Satellite imagery of Habitat Mapping in Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound study area............................................................................82 Figure 8-6: Chart 2619 “King George Sound” and “Princess Royal Harbour” (Corrected 6.7.1956)......................................................................................................83 Figure 8-7: Area with contaminated material suitable for unconfined offshore disposal in- line with NODGDM.......................................................................................84 Figure 9-1: Revised Channel Design Footprint ..............................................................86 Figure 9-2: Previous, Revised & Existing Channel Design Comparison ........................87 Figure 9-3: Previous vs Revised Land Reclamation and Berth Pocket Footprint...........88 Figure 9-4: CSD and TSHD Combined Campaign Turbidity Generation (July to October) .....................................................................................................................90 Figure 9-5: CSD Berth Pocket only Turbidity Generation (July to October) ...................91 Figure 9-6: CSD and TSHD Combined Campaign Turbidity Generation (November to February)......................................................................................................93 Figure 9-7: CSD Berth Pocket only Turbidity Generation (November to February) .......94 iv Figure 9-8: CSD and TSHD Combined Campaign Turbidity Generation (March to June) . .....................................................................................................................96 Figure 9-9: CSD Berth Pocket only Turbidity Generation (March to June).....................97 Figure 9-10: CSD Impact on Benthic Primary Producer Habitat of Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound study