Sandpiper Project Proposed recovery of phosphate enriched sediments from the Marine Mining Licence Area No. 170 off Walvis Bay, Namibia. Environmental Scoping Report for the Terrestrial Component March 2012 COPYRIGHT: ENVIRO DYNAMICS cc Project Name Sandpiper Phosphate Project Stage of Report Final Scoping Report submit at the DEA Client Namibian Marine Phosphate (NMP) Enviro Dynamics cc Lead Consultant Date of Release April 2012 Stephanie van Zyl, Norman van Zyl, Carla Saayman, Sheldon Husselmann, Eddy Kuliwoye, Pat Morant, Dr Mark Zunckel, Dr John Kinahan, Dr John Irvin, Contributors to the Report Justine Braby, Japie van Blerk, Brett Williams, Pierre Botha, Dr. Andrea Pulfrich, Andre Theron, Dr. Hardus Diedericks, Theo Potgieter, Gert Maritz Reviewer Patrick Morant Stephanie van Zyl Contact E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +264 (61) 223 336 i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Namibian Marine Phosphate (Pty) Ltd (NMP) is developing the Sandpiper Marine Phosphate Project in Namibia. The project resource area lies approximately 160 km south of Walvis Bay. The resource area includes a major part of the regionally mapped zone of phosphate mineralisation that occurs on the continental shelf south of Walvis Bay. The intention is to mine these deposits using proven deep water dredging techniques. The material will be transferred to shore at Walvis Bay where minimal beneficiation is required to separate the phosphate sands from other marine sediments. Locality of the marine phosphate deposit off the Namibian coast. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which is required for this project in terms of Namibia’s Environmental Management Act (2007) and Minerals Act (2002) for the marine and land-based activities are currently underway. NMP appointed Jeremy Midgley and Associates and Enviro Dynamics cc as the lead consultants of these studies. The Final EIA Report for the marine activities is currently being compiled while the land-based EIA is concluding its scoping phase with this Draft Scoping Report. Final Scoping Report Sandpiper Marine Project EIA for Terrestrial Component April 2012 ii The purpose of the scoping process was to identify the key issues to be investigated and to refine the Terms of Reference for the specialist studies. The document includes the following: a project description; a summary of the environment regulatory framework of the project; an overview of the socio-economic and bio-physical environment of the project; an account of the public consultation and disclosure process undertaken in Windhoek and Walvis Bay; and a list of the key issues identified and the way forward. The studies that will follow as an output of this scoping phase are as follows: Theme / Study area Specialist Terms of Reference Marine ecology Dr Andrea Pulfrich Focus on the intertidal and shallow subtidal Pisces Environmental marine communities by studying changes in Services the: invertebrate macro-faunal community, nursery habitat, biodiversity and movement of marine fish (including larvae inchore and migratory patterns), migration corridors and calving areas of the Southern Right whales. Focus on the marine and aeolian sediment Sediment Dynamics Andre Theron, dynamics by studying changes in the: Dr Gerhardus Diedericks CSIR sediment movement in the surf zone, beach and dunes due to the pipelines and other infrastructure and facilities, sediment movement in the surf zone due to the return of fines and shell to the sea Consider the effects of sealevel rise on the project activities. Focus on the terrestrial biodiversity by studying Terrestrial ecology Dr John Irish changes in the Inner (coastal) Namib due to: Biodata change in the ratio of endemic, range- restricted endemic and potentially threatened species, cumulative and related effects of change that the project may have on the ecology. Final Scoping Report Sandpiper Marine Project EIA for Terrestrial Component April 2012 iii Theme / Study area Specialist Terms of Reference Focus on the avian interaction by studying Birds Dr Justine Braby changes in the: environment in the flight paths between wetlands, along the coast and to new manmade wetlands, feeding, roosting and breeding activities of bird dependant on the project area, bird distribution due to changed habitats and new artificial habitats, interaction of the birds with infrastructure, facilities and activities of the project and the consequences. Focus on the water and groundwater by Water Quality Pierre Botha studying changes in the: (groundwater, Geo Pollution surface water on Technologies groundwater quality and movement land and at sea) due to the infrastructure, facilities and activities of the project as well as in the surface water that periodically occurs in the project area, sea water quality due to the return of used seawater and process water to the sea. Semi purified water at the bird sanctuary due to the extraction and possible return of process water. Focus on air quality by studying changes in the: Air quality Dr Mark Zunckel uMOYA-NILU receiving environment by identifying potentially sensitive receptors, process emissions as well as baseline conditions at all infrastructure, facilities as well as the transport/export route, modelling the downwind air conditions created by the project infrastructure, facilities and activities. Focus on noise by studying changes in the: Noise Brett Williams Safetech receiving environment by identifying potentially sensitive receptors, process emissions as well as baseline conditions, modelling the noise conditions created by the construction and operation of the project infrastructure, facilities. Final Scoping Report Sandpiper Marine Project EIA for Terrestrial Component April 2012 iv Theme / Study area Specialist Terms of Reference Focus on visual changes in the: Visual change Norman van Zyl Enviro Dynamics receiving environment by identifying potentially sensitive receptors and visual sources generated by the project infrastructure, facilities and activities, generating a visual inventory to determine the value of the views from the various visual receptors, model the visibility of the project infrastructure, facilities and activities from significant views. Focus on the socio-economic environment by Socio-economic, Carla Saayman studying changes in the: including tourism Enviro Dynamics various forms of land use, including the traditional land use patterns of the Topnaars; fishing, tourism, conservation, traditional livelihood industries, social and economic movement. Focus on the impact of traffic alternatives by: Traffic Theo Potgieter Burmeister & Partners reviewing the data of the Transport Study against existing information assess the changes in the environments in which the various transport options operates. Focus on the archaeological landscape of the Archaeology Dr John Kinahan Kuiseb Delta and the surroundings by: QRS Namibia conducting an overview of the project area to identify sensitive areas to avoid (completed to guide the planning process). detailed survey of the pipeline route to ensure that individual sites are avoided Final Scoping Report Sandpiper Marine Project EIA for Terrestrial Component April 2012 v Theme / Study area Specialist Terms of Reference Conduct a carbon emissions study according to Carbon emissions Brett Cohen the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, to help delineate The Green House direct and indirect emission sources of the project, and improve transparency of the calculations as follows: Scope 1: Direct GHG emissions from sources that are owned or controlled by the company. For example, this would include emissions from company owned vehicles Scope 2: Electricity indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the operations. These emissions occur at the power station. Scope 3: Other indirect GHG emissions include those emissions that occur as “a consequence of the activities of the company, but occur from sources not owned or controlled by the company”. These might include production of purchased materials, transport of materials or products by an outside firm or emissions during the use of the products sold. Radioactivity Japie van Blerk Conduct a radiation impact study of the AquiSim Consulting (Pty) future impacts during the operation and Ltd closure of the land based process including the transport of product to the port and the loading thereof into vessels for export. This study should take account of sensitive areas such as the salt works, personnel exposed to the process, adjoining residential areas, and issues raised during scoping. The cumulative impact over time due to the build-up of radioactive material in the various stages of the process must be described. The minimum outputs of the study should include a qualitative radiological impact assessment, a radiation protection plan to be included in the overall EHS plan for the operation and closure of the land based process and the design of a radiation monitoring plan to be included in the EMP including post operations phase. Final Scoping Report Sandpiper Marine Project EIA for Terrestrial Component April 2012 vi Objectives The objectives of this report , have been successfully met. Assumptions and limitations It is assumed that the water resource identified to supply the processing plant will be sufficient and sustainable. The semi-purified water from the municipal sewage treatment works will not fulfil the fresh water demand of the processing plant as originally envisaged. The project proponent is therefore responsible for