Native Vegetation Clearance Kangaroo Island Pipeline Stage I Data Report Clearance under the Native Vegetation Regulations 2017 17 December 2020 Prepared by Marcus Cooling Page 1 of 77 Table of contents 1. Application information 2. Purpose of clearance 2.1 Description 2.2 Background 2.3 General location map 2.4 Details of the proposal 2.5 Approvals required or obtained 2.6 Native Vegetation Regulation 2.7 Development Application information (if applicable) 3. Method 3.1 Flora assessment 3.2 Fauna assessment 4. Assessment outcomes 4.1 Vegetation assessment 4.2 Threatened Species assessment 4.3 Cumulative impacts 4.4 Addressing the Mitigation hierarchy 4.5 Principles of clearance 4.6 Risk Assessment 4.7 NVC Guidelines 5. Clearance summary 6. Significant environmental benefit 7. Appendices 7.1 Fauna Survey (where applicable) 7.2 Bushland, Rangeland or Scattered Tree Vegetation Assessment Scoresheets (to be submitted in Excel format). 7.3 Flora Species List 7.4 SEB Management Plan (where applicable) Page 2 of 77 1. Application information Application Details Applicant: SA Water Key contact: Tim Kildea Assistant Manager Environment, Land and Heritage Expertise Ph. 7424 3620 [email protected] Landowner: Commissioner of Highways Site Address: Hog Bay Road between Playford Highway and Pelican Lagoon. Local Government Kangaroo Island Council Hundred: Dudley Area: Title ID: Arronmore Road Reserve Parcel ID N.A. Hog Bay Road Road Reserve Summary of proposed clearance Purpose of clearance To construct a pipeline to augment the security and distribution of water supply on Kangaroo Island Native Vegetation Regulation Regulation 12, Schedule 1; clause 34, Infrastructure in the Public Interest Description of the vegetation 0.210 ha of Allocasuarina muelleriana shrubland (KI 3501 - GG1 Site2) under application 0.019 ha of Eucalyptus cneorifolia Mallee over wetland shrubs (KI 1107 - GG1 Site 2) 0.034 ha of Melaleuca halmaturorum shrubland with emergent Eucalyptus cneorifolia (KI 1304 - XX2 Site 1) 0.079 ha of Melaleuca halmaturorum / Melaleuca brevifolia shrubland over samphire (KI 2302 - XX2 Site 3) 0.004 of Melaleuca halmaturorum / Melaleuca brevifolia shrubland over samphire (KI 2302 - XX1 Site 1) 0.004 ha of Eucalyptus cneorifolia mallee (KI 1104 - XX1 Site 3) 0.003 ha of Melaleuca halmaturorum / M. brevifolia over woodland and wetland shrubs (KI 2301 - WW Site 4) 0.0008 ha of Eucalyptus cneorifolia and E. rugosa mallee over woodland shrubs in laterite soils (KI 1106 - VV Site 1) 0.028 ha of Eucalyptus cosmophylla mallee over riparian shrubs (KI 0210 - VV Site 8) 0.007 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia mallee over wetland shrubs in deeper sands and clays (KI 0206 - VV Site 9) 0.061 ha of Melaleuca halmaturorum / M. brevifolia shrubland over swampy laterite (KI 2201 - VV Site 10) 0.075 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia mallee over swampy lateritic sands and clays (KI 0210 - VV Site 10) 0.154 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia mallee over Melaleuca lanceolata over coastal shrubs in limestone soils (KI 0206 - TT Site 2) Page 3 of 77 0.014 ha of Eucalyptus rugosa and E. diversifolia mallee over coastal shrubs in limestone soils (KI 0406 - TT Site 4) 0.078 ha of Myoporum insulare and Leucopogon parviflorus coastal shrubland (KI 1201 - TT Site 5) 0.036 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia and E. rugosa mallee over coastal shrubs (KI 0220 - SS3 Site 2) 0.242 ha of Leucopogon parviflorus / Myoporum insulare coastal shrubland (KI 2001 - SS2 Site1) 0.147 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia / E. rugosa mallee with a heathy understorey (KI 0220 - RR2 Site 1) 0.197 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia / E. rugosa mallee with a shrubby understorey (KI 0406 - RR2 Site 2) 0.063 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia / E. rugosa mallee with a shrubby understorey (KI 0406 - RR1 Site 2) 0.023 ha of Eucalyptus cneorifolia mallee with a Melaleuca lanceolata mid-storey (KI 1101 - QQ Site 2) 0.118 ha of Leucopogon parviflorus coastal shrubland with emergent mallee trees (KI 2003 - QQ Site 3) 0.024 ha of Eucalyptus diversifolia / E. cneorifolia mallee over a shrubby understorey (KI 0217 - PP Site 2) 0.006 ha of E. cneorifolia mallee with a sparse shrubby understorey (KI 1103 - PP Site 3) Total proposed clearance - 1.56 ha is proposed to be cleared. area (ha) and number of trees Level of clearance Level 4 Overlay (Planning and Design Not applicable Code) Page 4 of 77 Mitigation hierarchy Impacts to native vegetation have been avoided and minimised by locating the works in the road or road shoulder to avoid damage to significant vegetation in the verge. SEB Offset proposal Payment of $65,319.77 2. Purpose of clearance 2.1 Description SA Water is proposing to build a new pipeline to connect the Middle River and Penneshaw water supply systems on Kangaroo Island. 2.2 Background The Middle River system distributes water from the Middle River Reservoir to Kingscote, Parndana and Brownlow in the central part of Kangaroo Island. The Penneshaw system distributes water from the Penneshaw desalination plant to Penneshaw on the Dudley Peninsula in the eastern part of the island. SA Water completed the Kangaroo Island Long Term Water Plan in 2018 to identify actions required to ensure water security on the island for the next 25 years (SA Water 2018). The plan considered trends in water demand and supply capacity in the face of changing climate, land use and population. A priority action from the plan was to integrate the Middle River and Penneshaw systems with a pipeline. The two systems would complement each other to increase the security of water supply as well as distributing water to houses, farms and settlements along the route. Page 5 of 77 The pipeline is planned in two stages (Figure 1). Stage 1 extends from the Middle River water main on Playford Highway near Kangaroo Island Airport along Arranmore Road and Hog Bay Road to Pelican Lagoon. Stage 2 extends from Pelican Lagoon along Hog Bay Road to reach the desalination plant water storage at Charing Cross Road, Kangaroo Head. A Stage 1 vegetation clearance application was initially prepared for KI Links by Botanical Enigmerase and approved by the Native Vegetation Council on 6 March 2019 (NVR 2019/3016/520). Since this approval was given, SA Water has assumed ownership of the project and made changes to the pipeline's design. This data report is a replacement application for Stage 1 and a new application for Stage 2. Related, future options to further augment water supply and security are: • relocating the Penneshaw desalination plant to the Earth Bank Storage facility at the intersection of Hog Bay Road and Charing Cross Road (Figure 1) and increasing its capacity; and • a pipeline to supply water to American River. 2.3 General location map Figure 1 provides an overview of the route within the regional setting. Figures 2 and 3 shows the Stage 1 and Stage 2 pipeline sections in the context of towns, conservation reserves and roads. Kangaroo Island Airport Penneshaw Desalination Plant Earth Bank Storage (EBS) Stage 1 Stage 2 Figure 1. Location map showing Stage 1 and Stage 2 pipeline routes Page 6 of 77 Figure 2. Stage 1 pipeline route showing roads, localities and vegetation survey sections Page 7 of 77 Figure 3. Stage 2 pipeline route showing roads, localities and vegetation survey sections 2.4 Details of the proposal The pipeline extends from the intersection of Playford Highway at Cygnet River along Arronmore Road and Hog Bay Road to the Penneshaw desalination plant Earth Bank Storage (EBS) at the intersection of Charing Cross Road. The pipeline will be constructed in the Commissioner of Highways roads under the care and control of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and Kangaroo Island Council. The route comprises sections of the following roads: • Arronmore Road; • Hog Bay Road; and • Charing Cross Road The pipeline will be buried in a back-filled trench excavated by a Vermeer. The construction methodology is based on a 0.375 m pipe and a maximum trench width of 1.0 m. The Vermeer utilises a trencher between two tracks with a maximum impact width of 2.9 m, i.e. 0.96 m either side of the trench. It is planned to use a loadout conveyor to load excavated material directly from the trench to a truck (SA Water 2020). Three pipeline alignment options are available to manage impacts to native vegetation. • Option 1 aligns the trench in the road verge. The trench will be approximately positioned on the outer side of the white marker posts. This option requires a corridor up to 3.3 m wide from the edge of the bitumen. This alignment is preferred where native vegetation is of low significance or absent. • Option 2 aligns the trench between the edge of the bitumen and the white marker posts. This option requires clearance of up to 2.3 m of roadside vegetation. Page 8 of 77 • Option 3 aligns the trench in the sealed road, in the centre of one lane. This option does not involve vegetation clearance. It is possible that overhead branches growing in the prescribed clearance envelope of the traffic corridor may be lopped allow a safe workspace for the machinery. Option 1 is preferred from a construction and maintenance point of view. It does not require excavation and reinstatement of the road surface, it involves less disruption to traffic during construction and provides easier and safer access to the pipeline after construction. It is also the least costly option. However it involves the greatest potential vegetation impacts. Bends can be added to the pipeline to avoid sensitive sites. However bends increase construction difficulty, increase cost and reduce pipeline integrity.