ouble River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Review of Environmental Factors Final Report Number DC16095 October 2017 Prepared for WaterNSW River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project Review of Environmental Factors Document Control Approved for Issue Version Authors Reviewer Name Date Lara Hess Lara Hess Final Kristen Parmeter Carl Broockmann 24.10.2017 Natassa Assargiotis Natassa Assargiotis © Crown in right of NSW through the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation 2017 This publication is copyright and may incorporate moral rights of an individual. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the conditions prescribed under the Copyright Act, no part of it may, in any form or by any means, be reproduced, altered, manipulated, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written consent of the copyright owner or owner of moral rights. Any inquiries relating to consents and use of this publication, including by NSW Government agencies must be addressed to Infrastructure Services, Public Works Advisory. Public Works Advisory Report Number DC16095 Final ii River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project Review of Environmental Factors Foreword This review of environmental factors (REF) has been prepared to assess the environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline project (the project). It is acknowledged that the project will be procured on a Design Build Operate Maintain basis and that the successful tenderer will site and design all infrastructure associated with the development. This REF is based on the scope of works and design and construction assumptions as described in Section 5.0 of this report and the infrastructure footprints shown in Table 6-1 and Appendix C. Should the contractor propose a design and/ or construction methodology that differs from that described in this REF, further assessment to determine the significance of any potential impacts in accordance with Part 5 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 will be required. The assessment of impacts associated with the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline project presented in this REF is based on the information provided at the time of drafting including specialist investigations and assessments. The analysis and assessment of Aboriginal cultural heritage impacts is being undertaken in four stages in line with the approach to obtaining Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permits (AHIP) in stages. The draft report for Stage 1 (Stephens Creek to Pine Creek) has been prepared and the draft reports for the remaining stages are currently being prepared. No works would be undertaken that would impact on Aboriginal objects unless an AHIP has been obtained for that section. Public Works Advisory Report Number DC16095 Final iii River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project Review of Environmental Factors Author’s declaration This Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been prepared by Public Works Advisory, NSW Water Solutions on behalf of WaterNSW. The report presents the assessment of potential environmental impacts associated with the proposal to construct and operate the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline project. WaterNSW is a State Owned Corporation and is the determining authority as defined in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). The proposal satisfies the definition of an activity under the Act, and as such WaterNSW must assess and consider the environmental impacts of the proposal before determining whether to proceed. This REF has been prepared in accordance with Sections 111 and 112 of the EP&A Act and Clause 228 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Reg). This REF provides a true and fair assessment of the proposed activity in relation to its likely effects on the environment. It addresses to the fullest extent possible all matters affecting or likely to affect the environment as a result of the proposed activity. The main impacts of the proposed, as identified in this REF, are matters relating to construction activities and include impacts to Aboriginal cultural heritage, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, soils, noise and vibration, air quality, and traffic and transport. The main operational issues relate to the impact of extracting water from the River Murray and noise from the pumping stations. On the basis of the information presented in this REF it is concluded that by adopting the measures to avoid, minimise or manage environmental impacts: 1. the proposed activity is not likely to have a significant impact on the environment and therefore an Environmental Impact Statement is not required. 2. the proposed activity is not likely to significantly affect threatened species, populations, ecological communities, or critical habitat. Therefore a Species Impact Statement (SIS) is not required. 3. the proposed activity is not likely to affect any Commonwealth land, is not being carried out on Commonwealth land, or result in a significantly impact to any Matters of National Environmental Significance. This REF has been prepared by the undersigned. Author and Qualifications Lara Hess BSC, MEnvL Designation Senior Environmental Scientist Organisation Public Works Advisory, Water Solutions Signature Anastasia Assargiotis (on behalf of Lara Hess) Date 24.10.2017 Public Works Advisory Report Number DC16095 Final iv River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project Review of Environmental Factors Executive Summary This Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been prepared by the Public Works Advisory on behalf of WaterNSW. The report assesses the potential environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of the proposed River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project. Introduction Broken Hill, Menindee, Silverton and Sunset Strip are located in the Far West Region of New South Wales (NSW). Essential Water supplies water to people in Broken Hill, as well as to the communities of Menindee, Sunset Strip and Silverton. Town water supply is almost entirely dependent on water sourced from the Darling River/Menindee Lakes system which is about 100 kilometres south east of Broken Hill. Raw/untreated water is extracted from Weir 32 on the Darling River and pumped to Broken Hill via the existing aboveground pipeline and the Stephens Creek Reservoir. It is treated at the Broken Hill Mica Street water treatment plant (WTP) before it is delivered to customers. Local climatic conditions, combined with upstream water demands, limited available storage capacity at Broken Hill and very high surface water evaporation rates have contributed to ongoing water shortages in the area. The current raw water supply does not meet the NSW Guidelines on Assuring Future Urban Water Security. Given the limitations of the existing water supply system both in terms of availability and quality, the NSW government has committed to providing a secure long-term water supply solution. This involves constructing a pipeline and associated infrastructure to pump water from the River Murray at Wentworth to Broken Hill. The water would be pumped to and treated at the Mica Street WTP before it is delivered to customers using Essential Water’s existing water distribution system. WaterNSW is delivering the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline project (the project) on behalf of the NSW Government. Description of the project The project is described in section 5. It will provide a secure water supply to Broken Hill by constructing and operating: A pipeline to transfer water from the River Murray to Broken Hill An inlet pumping station pumping station on the River Murray, a dosing plant, up to three transfer pumping stations (TPS) and a bulk water storage adjacent to the pipeline ancillary components that include but are not limited to balance tanks, scour valves, air valves, power supply, telemetry, and associated electrical, mechanical and civil works. Objective The objective of the project is to provide a secure, reliable and long-term source of water to Broken Hill and the surrounding communities that complies with the NSW Guidelines on Assuring Future Urban Water Security. Public Works Advisory Report Number DC16095 Final v River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project Review of Environmental Factors Environmental planning and approvals The project is permissible without development consent under Part 4 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) due to the application of Clause 125(1) of State Infrastructure Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007. The project is an activity that requires assessment under Part 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) and WaterNSW is the proponent and a determining authority as defined under section 110(1) of the EP&A Act. The following approvals, licence or permits are also required for the project: Department of Primary Industries – Water for relevant approvals and licences under the Water Management Act 2000 Department of Industry – Lands and Forestry for licences under the Crown Lands Act 1989. Roads and Maritime Services, Department of Industry – Lands and Forestry, Broken Hill City Council, Wentworth Shire Council – for works within classified roads that require approval under the Roads Act 1993. Office of Environment and Heritage – for activities that impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage and require a permit under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. Murray Darling Basin Authority – notification under the Water Act 2007. Australian Rail