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FINAL REPORT TRN 0892 ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION - LICENCE NO. 6498/1995/11 1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2017 Fisher In-Pit Tailings Storage Facility Jundee Tailings Storage Facility and Nimary Tailings Storage Facility JUNDEE OPERATIONS REPORT NUMBER: N0103-19 - ver C Prepared For Northern Star Resources Limited Jundee Operations March 2018 SAPROLITE PTY LTD (ACN 135 590 724) PO Box 2234 Ellenbrook WA 6069 Copies of Final Reports to: 52B Mornington Parkway Ellenbrook WA 6069 Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (1) Ph: 6296 7760 www.saprolite.com.au Northern Star Resources Ltd (e-copy) Fax: 6296 7762 [email protected] Saprolite Environmental (e-copy) 27 March 2018 Project No. N0103-19 Northern Star Resources Limited PO Box 2008 Subiaco WA 6904 Attention: Abraham van Niekerk – Senior Advisor Environment and Social Responsibility Dear Abraham: Subject: Northern Star Resources’ Jundee Operations Annual Environmental Report to the DWER, Licence No. 6498/1995/11 (Fisher In-Pit TSF, Jundee TSF and Nimary TSF) 1 January to 31 December 2017 We are pleased to provide Northern Star Resources’ Jundee Operations with the above final report, as per the distribution list on the cover. On your behalf we have forwarded one hard copy (text double sided) of the report for the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation– Industry Regulation, attention Louise Lavery. We thank you for the opportunity in working on this project and look forward to being of assistance in the future. Should you have any queries about the report or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned Yours faithfully SAPROLITE ENVIRONMENTAL Rob Hollis Garth Richards Rob Hollis Garth Richards Project Environmental Scientist Senior Principal Consultant Managing Director cc. Saprolite Pty Ltd ABN 43 135 590 724 PO Box 2234 Ellenbrook WA 6069 52B Mornington Parkway Ellenbrook WA 6069 Ph: (+61 8) 6296 7760 I Fax: (+61 8) 6296 7762 I Email: [email protected] 27 March 2018 Annual Environmental Report to the DWER, Licence No 6498/1995/11 – 1 January to 31 December 2017 Northern Star Resources - Jundee Operations EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Northern Star Resources’ Jundee Operation (Jundee) is located approximately 50km north-east of the Wiluna Township, in the North Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, Figure 1. Jundee is owned and operated by Northern Star Resources Ltd (NSR), who acquired the operation in July 2014 from Newmont Mining Pty Ltd. The project originally comprised two gold operations, Jundee and Nimary, which were amalgamated in 2001. The operation comprised two separate CIP processing plants, located within 4km of each other until the Nimary Plant was decommissioned on 3 July 2007. Monitoring is undertaken to detect any impacts on the groundwater, to enable the operations to investigate and implement management strategies where required. As part of Jundee’s environmental and legal obligations routine water monitoring is undertaken at locations that have the potential to impact the environment. These locations include the Fisher In-Pit TSF, Jundee TSF, Nimary TSF, Mine Dewatering Discharge and the Bioremediation Landfarm. In addition, representative soil sampling at the Bioremediation Landfarm and at Jundee TSF1 is undertaken. Water levels in monitoring bores around the Fisher In-pit TSF have risen historically, a pattern expected to be associated with groundwater mounding in response to tailings deposition. Monitoring bores have shown relatively stable water levels during the review period with the exception of FMB10, which had an unusually high groundwater measurement in September. Results from water chemistry analysis of bores around Fisher TSF showed pH ranging from 6.44 to 7.76, TDS values ranging from 301 to 14,240mg/L and WADCN was up to 0.008mg/L with some samples below the Practical Quantification Limit (PQL). Water levels in monitoring bores around the Jundee TSF have fluctuated historically when in proximity to recovery bores likely a response to drawdown. Monitoring bores have exhibited a predominately stable water level trends in the majority of monitoring bores during 2017. Results from water chemistry analysis of bores around Jundee TSF showed pH ranging from 6.58 to 7.66; TDS values ranging from 263 to 5,160mg/L and WADCN was below the PQL for all analyses All Nimary bores except NMB08 showed declining water levels during the review period, a continuation of the long term trend in Nimary bores. Results from water chemistry analysis of bores around Nimary TSF showed pH ranging from 6.97 to 7.5, TDS values ranging from 510 to 3,480mg/L and WADCN was up to 0.005mg/L with most analyses too low to be measured. All monitoring was conducted in accordance with the licence conditions during the review period. A few monitoring omissions due to operational limitations such as bores being dry. The exception was an administration error that omitted the analysis of fluoride at two locations in March. SAPROLITE ENVIRONMENTAL I 27 March 2018 Annual Environmental Report to the DWER, Licence No 6498/1995/11 – 1 January to 31 December 2017 Northern Star Resources - Jundee Operations TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 1 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background and General Site Description .......................................................................... 1 1.2 Monitoring Background ........................................................................................................ 2 2. LICENSING........................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Monitoring Requirements .................................................................................................... 3 3. PRODUCTION VOLUMES ................................................................................ 7 3.1 Tailings Recovery Water ..................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Seepage Recovery Bores .................................................................................................... 8 4. WATER LEVELS ............................................................................................. 10 4.1 Fisher In-Pit Tailings Storage Facility ................................................................................ 10 4.2 Jundee Tailings Storage Facility ........................................................................................ 11 4.3 Nimary Tailings Storage Facility Monitoring Bores ............................................................ 13 5. ANALYTICAL RESULTS – WATER AND SOIL ............................................. 14 5.1 Fisher In-Pit Tailings Storage Facility Water Monitoring ................................................... 14 5.2 Jundee Tailings Storage Facility Water Monitoring ........................................................... 16 5.3 Nimary Tailings Storage Facility Water Monitoring ........................................................... 20 5.4 Mine Dewatering Monitoring .............................................................................................. 21 5.5 Jundee Bioremediation Landfarm Water Monitoring ......................................................... 23 5.6 Jundee Bioremediation Landfarm Soil Sampling .............................................................. 23 6. GAS GENERATOR EMISSIONS ..................................................................... 24 7. LICENCE COMPLIANCE ................................................................................ 25 7.1 Incident and Exceedance Reporting.................................................................................. 25 7.2 Monitoring Requirement .................................................................................................... 26 7.3 Improvements .................................................................................................................... 27 7.4 Complaints ......................................................................................................................... 27 8. RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................... 28 8.1 Licence Requirements and definitions .............................................................................. 28 8.2 Fisher In-Pit Tailings Storage Facility ................................................................................ 28 8.3 Jundee Tailings Storage Facility ........................................................................................ 28 8.4 Nimary Tailings Storage Facility ........................................................................................ 28 8.5 Barton Mine Dewatering .................................................................................................... 28 8.6 Jundee Bioremediation Landfarm Soil Sampling .............................................................. 28 9. REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 29 SAPROLITE ENVIRONMENTAL 27 March 2018 Annual Environmental Report to the DWER, Licence No 6498/1995/11 – 1 January to 31 December 2017 Northern Star Resources - Jundee Operations LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND APPENDICES TABLES Table 2.1 Jundee Licensing ................................................................................................................................3