EIS 156 AA055 953 Proposed Ulan to Gulgong railway: environmental impact assessment. NSW AEPT PRIMARY INDUSTRIES AAO5 5953 ED DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT & PLANNING Proposed Ulan to Gulgong Railway EIS 156 vol 2 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSE SSMENT Proposed Ulan to Gulgong Railway ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT & PLANNING SYDNEY MARCH 1982 82/12 ISBN 0 7240 6496 6 FOREWORD Ulan Coal Mines Limited has lodged development applications with Mudgee and Merriwo Shire Councils for the reconstruction of the Sandy Hollow to Maryvate Railway between Ulan and Gulgong and associated works. The development applications have been supported by an environmental impact statement. As the development is subject to a direction under Section 101 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, the Minister for Planning and Environment will determine the development applications lodged with the Shire Councils. To assist in the determination of the applications the Department of Environment and Planning has undertaken an assessment of the proposal. In carrying out the assessment, due consideration has been given to all written submissions received, however, there were no objectors to the development. This assessment report has been prepared by the Department of Environment and Planning and constitutes the Departments consideration of the development applications and the associated environmental impact statement. The report will be forwarded to the Councils, the applicant and the authors of written submissions. If either Council or the applicant requests a hearing in accordance with Section lOt of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, this report and the recommendations contained herein shall constitute the Deportment's submission to the Commission of Inquiry. If no hearing is requested, the report and its recommendations will be forwarded to the Minister for Planning and Environment for his consideration in determining the development applications. R.B. SMYTH DIRECTOR CONTENTS Page I. INTRODUCTION 3 1.1 Relevant Previous Approvals and Agreements 3 1.2 The Development Approval Process for the 3 Current Development THE PROPOSAL 4 THE EXISTING ENVIRONMENT 5 REVIEW OF SUBMISSIONS 6 4.1 Government Departments 6 4.2 Local Government 9 4.3 Private Organisations 9 4.4 Individuals tO 5. ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 10 5.1 Short Term Impacts 10 5.1.1 Ballast Quarry 10 5.1.2 Borrow Pits II 5.1.3 Sleeper Manufacture II 5.1.4 Construction Activity 12 5.1.5 Employment and Social Impacts 12 5.2 Long Term Impacts 13 5.2.1 Beneficial Impacts 13 5.2.2 Noise 13 5.2.3 Level Crossings and access 15 5.2.4 Impact on State Rail System 15 5.2.5 Impact on Wildlife 16 6. CONCLUSIONS 16 7. RECOMMENDATIONS 17 APPENDIX : Submission of the State Pollution 20 Control Commission FIGURE : Map Showing Location of Railway k -3- I. NTRODUCTlON I. I Relevant Previous Approvals and Agreements In December, 1978, Ulan Coal Mines Limited announced its intention of providing the funds for completion of the Ulan to Sandy Hollow railway to. facilitate transport of the envisaged expanded coal production at Ulan. An environmental impact statement was prepared for this proposal and placed on public exhibition in June and July 1980. The railway proposal was subsequently approved by the Department of Environment and Planning in September 1980. It is now under construction and is proceeding on schedule for completion by the end of June, 1982. In October 1980, Ulan Coal Mines Limited submitted development applications, together with copies of an environmenta impact statement, to the Councils of the Shires of Mudgee and Merriwa for the expansion of the Ulan Coal Mine to achieve a production rate of 4.2 million tonnes per annum. The Councils subsequently placed the documents on public exhibition and then forwarded same, together with submissions received, to the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Planning for determination by the Minister, in accordance with Section 101 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. The Department prepared and published an Assessment Report on the development including recommendations for approval of the development. At the request of several objectors, an inquiry was held under Section 101(5) of the Act. The Department's Assessment Report became a submission to the inquiry. Following the advice of the Commissioner of Inquiry, the Minister approved the development, subject to conditions, on 26 May, 1981. Condition 12 of the Minister's Consent endorsed the Department's recommendation relating to the Gulgong railway. This Condition required the applicant to, "within six months of the date of this consent, undertake and complete in consultation with the State Rail Authority and the Mudgee Shire Council, a feasibility study for extending the Sandy Hollow railway from Ulan to Gulgong". This recommendation originated to meet the objective of removing the road to rail coal loading facility at Gulgong and road transport of coal thereto. The undertaking by Ulan Coal Mines Limited to arrange and finance the reconstruction of the Ulan to Gulgong Railway has become an integral part of an agreement between the Company and the Government whereby the Company will receive a new coal lease at Ulan. The Company's consultants have already consulted the Director regarding the preparation of a further impact statement for the Stage 2 mine expansion. 1.2 The Development Approval Process for the Current Development The Ulan to Gulgong Railway development is consider-ed under Part IV of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 as a designated development as per Schedule 3 of the Regulations, item -4- (i). The consent authorities are Mudgee and Merriwa Shire Councils. A Section $01 Direction dated 23 July, 1981, applies to the development, it being a "developp- ent relating to transport of coal". The Minister for Planning and Environment will determine the applications lodged with the consent authorities. Kinhill Pty. Ltd., consultants to Ulan Coal Mines Limited, was commissioned to prepare (in environmental impact statement for the development. In preparing the environmental impact statement, Kinhill Pty. Ltd. consulted the Director of the Department of Environment and Planning, in accordance with Clause 35 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation. Development applications, together with copies of the completed environmental impact statement, were subsequently lodged with Mudgee and Merriwa Shire Councils. The councils placed same on public exhibition at strategic local locarions for, the periods 13 November - $2 December and II November - $0 December respectively. The consent authorities forwarded the development applications to the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Planning. This assessment report has been prepared by the Department of Environment and Planning and constitutes the Department's consideration of the development applications and the associated environmental impact statement. The report will be forwarded to both councils and the applicant. If either council or the applicant requests a hearing in accordance with Section 10$ of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, this report and the recommendations contained herein shall constitute the Department's submission to the Commission of Inquiry. If no hearing is requested, the report and its recommendations will be forwarded to the Minister for Planning and Environment for his consideration in determining the development applications. 2. THE PROPOSAL The proposal as outlined in the environmental impact statement involves the reconstruction of the previously abandoned Maryvale to Sandy Hollow Railway between Ulan and Gulgong at a cost of approximately $11.2 million and the construction of a second rail loop with provision for a loading facility at Ulan. Associated with the development would be the demolition of the existing coal loading facility at Gulgong. The purpose of the railway would be to provide the Company with a rail route for domestic coal and an alternative route for export coal if the main line between Ulan and Newcastle becomes inoperative for any reason. The railway could also be available for other produce at the discretion of the State Rail Authority. The length of the proposed railway is 24.8 kilometres. The 6. I metre wide fQrmation would be constructed within the existing easement which varies in width between 30 and 40 metres. Grades would not exceed 1:80 against loaded trains and 1:50 against empty trains. Depth of ballast would be 300mm. 53 kg/metre of continuously welded rail would be laid on prestressed mono-bloc 4 -5- concrete sleepers. Three steel bridges would be constructed. There would also be seven public level crossings and sixteen private and accommodation crossings. Both sides of the easement would be fenced, though some stock underpasses would be provided. Construction work would involve clearing and burning of vegetation in the easement, fencing, placement of formation earthworks to a depth of 300mm, construction of a maintenance road adjacent to the track within the easement and the placement of an earth capping layer. The formation would then be trimmed prior to dumping of ballast and placement of sieepers and track. Various access points would be located along the railway during the construction phase. Approximately 160,000 tonnes of earth capping material would be required. It would be obtained from borrow pits in private property adjacent to the eastern half of the railway. The material would be trucked in 20 to 35 tonne capacity trucks directly to the formation. Borrow pits would be reformed and rehabilitated to the requirments of land holders. Approximately 100,000 tonnes of sized ballast would be required. It is proposed that this be obtained from either a new quarry near Ulan or the existing quarry at Bylong. Approval is sought for the Ulan Quarry which would involve production of 200 tonnes of ballast per hour for 10 hours per day, six days per week. Some blasting would be necessary and ballast would be crushed and screened at the quarry site.