Form 3: Initial Environmental Assessment and Sensitive Environments Contingency Plan
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FORM 3 Form 3: Initial environmental assessment and sensitive environments contingency plan Regulation 11(c), Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects– Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013 How to use this form: This form should be completed by organisations planning to carry out marine scientific research, prospecting, or exploration. It fulfils the initial environmental assessment and contingency plan requirements of Schedule 2 of the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects – Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013. This form must be provided to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) at least 5 working days before commencing the activity. Note: Items marked in italics are non-compulsory fields; however, inclusion of this information will assist the EPA in processing this form. Please note that this completed form, once received and processed by EPA, will be posted on the EPA website. Submitting in hard copy: If you wish to provide this form in hard copy, please post your completed form to: Environmental Protection Authority, Private Bag 63002, Wellington, 6140. Submitting electronically: If you wish to provide this form electronically, please email your form to: [email protected] Any form submitted electronically should be attached to an email that sets out: • The details of the person undertaking the permitted activity (the operator); • The name of the person supplying the completed form; and • A statement that the person is authorised to supply the form on behalf of the operator. Note: there is an 8 MB limit on electronic files submitted via email. All forms prescribed by the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects – Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013, as well as suggested templates for providing other information, may be viewed and downloaded from our website at www.epa.govt.nz or requested by contacting us: Private Bag 63002, Wellington, 6140 Ph +64 4 916 2426 Email [email protected] Fax +64 4 914 0433 www.epa.govt.nz 2 Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects – Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013 Form 3: Initial environmental assessment and sensitive environments contingency plan Operation name: Name used by operator to reference the activity described in this form: Post-drill Monitoring Details of person undertaking permitted activity Company name: Anadarko New Zealand Company Contact person: Phone number: Mobile number: Fax number: Physical address: Postcode: Postal address (if different): Postcode: Email address: General description of permitted activity Type of activity: Post-drill Environmental Monitoring at the Caravel-1 exploratory well (e.g. marine scientific research, location in the Canterbury Basin (PEP38264) prospecting) Description of methods to be The post-drill environmental monitoring will consist of a field survey used to undertake the activity: focused on the sampling of environmental media, parameters/analytes, and locations using appropriate field techniques, analytical procedures, and quality control (QC). The field survey components are as follows: • Water Column Sampling: The water column will be sampled at a randomly selected station within 250 m of each wellsite and at a station located 3,000 m from each wellsite. Hydrographic parameters will be measured with a CTD/water quality profiler, equipped with depth-rated DO and pH sensors. Hydrographic parameters to be measured include conductivity/salinity, DO, pH, and temperature. Hydrographic measurements will be profiled from near-surface to near- bottom during the collection of water samples. Additionally, seawater samples will be collected to analyze nutrients (total nitrogen and phosphorus), metals, total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), and potentially polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Analyses will be conducted to determine the concentration of various priority pollutants and hydrocarbon-associated metals including arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn). Water samples will be transferred into pre-cleaned sample containers, preserved, and handled/stored according to water sample protocols. • Seabed Sediment Sampling: A deepwater winch system will be used to deploy a stainless steel box corer to collect sediment samples. Box core samples will be evaluated for sediment geological and chemical Jun 2013 EPA0263 3 Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects – Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013 Form 3: Initial environmental assessment and sensitive environments contingency plan analyses and macroinfauna. The box core sample will be partitioned using a stainless steel insert to separate the chemical and geological samples from the macroinfaunal sample. All chemical and geological subsamples will be collected from the top 2 cm of sediment outside of the steel insert, while sediment to be sieved for macroinfauna will be collected from within the stainless steel insert down to a depth of 15 cm. Within each sampling strata, an additional core for sediment grain size will be collected to a depth of approximately 15 cm to correlate with the macroinfaunal data. Location of permitted activity Co-ordinates of area where PEP Project Approximate Water Depth Distance activity will be undertaken: Area Project Area (m) Offshore (km) (latitude and longitude) PEP 38264 17,492.86 km2 200-1,200 m 20-180 km Latitude and Longitude of the Four Corners of the Project Area 171° 00’ E, 45° 50’ S 174° 10’ E, 44° 45’ S 171° 00’ E, 46° 02’ S 172° 54’ E, 46° 00’ S Description of the current state of the area and the surrounding environment, including any known sensitive environments: The deep sea environment of the Project Area is rarely affected by outside influences. The physical and biological environment is described in detail in Appendix A. According to available information, there are no Protected Natural Areas located within PEP 38264 (UNEP and IUCN, 2009). Description of the likely effects of the activity on the environment: The impacts associated with the Post-drill Monitoring would be of short-term duration and limited to the immediate survey area. The most likely effect of the monitoring would be the interference and/or damage to the benthic environment. This effect could result from the collection of seabed samples and or the potential of dropped objects, such as sampling equipment. In both cases the impact and effected area would be limited, thus the severity of this potential impact is considered to be low. In addition, because of the localized nature of the activity other potential impacts are considered to be of insufficient to low significance with implemented mitigation techniques and best practices. Identification of sensitive environments Describe any sensitive environments likely to exist in the area where the activity will be undertaken: There are no known sensitive environments within the Project Area. The closest Marine Mammal Sanctuaries in the vicinity of the Project Area are the Banks Peninsula marine mammal sanctuary (over 100 km away) and the Catlins Coast marine mammal sanctuary (over 170 km away). Jun 2013 EPA0263 4 Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects – Permitted Activities) Regulations 2013 Form 3: Initial environmental assessment and sensitive environments contingency plan Contingency plan Specify measures that could be taken to avoid, remedy, or mitigate the adverse effects of the activity on sensitive environments: a) Can the activity be undertaken Yes / No in another place? Explain: No, because of the PEP 38264 blocks leased, the Seabed Sampling Program is restricted to that area. b) Can the activity be undertaken Yes / No in a way that reduces the Explain: The activity has been designed to reduce the disturbance of the amount of contact with the seabed as much as possible. seabed? c) Can different methods be used Yes / No in undertaking the activity to Explain: The Post-drill Monitoring methods have been chosen because of lessen its effects on the their minimal effects on the environment. In addition, there are no known sensitive environment? sensitive environments within or in near proximity to the project area. d) Can the activity be undertaken Yes / No in a way that lessens its Explain: The Post-drill Monitoring methods have been chosen because of effects in the sensitive their minimal effects on the environment. In addition, there are no known environment? sensitive environments within or in near proximity to the project area. * Select one December 10, 2014 Signature of authorised contact person Date Name: Title: Note: A signature is not required for electronic (email) forms. Jun 2013 EPA0263 Appendix A – Physical and Biological Environment 6.2 CARAVEL PROSPECT AREA 6.2.1 Physical Environment 6.2.1.1 Climate Detailed climatological data, such as mean temperature and precipitation, are unavailable for PEP 38264, so the following description is based on data from the onshore east coast of the South Island, in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. The climate of the region is dominated by an irregular succession of anticyclones that move eastward, travelling in a more northerly direction during spring and a more southerly direction during autumn and winter. Between the anticyclones, troughs of low pressure occur, bringing north-westerly winds, clouds and rain, followed by cold south westerly winds. The eastern side of the South