EIS 556 AB019265 Mt Gipps Limited : environmental impact statement: proposed Comet - Hiligrove gold project I NSW DEPT PRIMARI INAUSTRIES I ABOI 9265 I I I ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT I PROPOSED ROCKVALE - HILLGROVE GOLD PROJECT I AUGUST, 1989 I I I I I I I I I Prepared by Douglas Martin & Associates Pty Ltd I Environmental Planning Consultants I in association with Stuart Miller & Associates Pty Ltd I W.L.P.U. Consultants (Aust) Pty Ltd Nigel Holmes & Associates I Pollution Research Pty Ltd I I ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT ACT, 1979 SECTION 77(3)(d) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT This Statement has been prepared on behalf of Mt. Gipps Limited, being the applicant U making the development application referred to below. The Statement accompanies the development application made in respect to development described as follows: PROPOSED REOPENING OF COMET GOLD MINE AT ROCKVALE AND TREATMENT OF ORE AND EXTRACTION OF GOLD AT HILLGROVE The development application relates to the land described as follows: Reference to title Portion Parish County mi i a ry Volume Folio U Part 154 Clevedon SanV art 4690 20 9856 U Part 163 KfJa.t Part 180 Part 4606 Part 181 " " Part 4607 U Part 184 " Part 4604 Lots 11, 12, 13, Section 21, Brereton Street, Hillgrove and Lot 2, Portion 52, Hillgrove, Metz Parish, Sandon County The contents of this statement, as required by clause 34 of the Environmental Planning U and Assessment Regulation, 1980, are set forth in the accompanying pages. Name, Qualifications and Address of DOUGLAS MARTIN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD person who prepared Environmental ENVIRONMENTAL AND PLANNING Impact Statement: CONSULTANTS 45 Landers Road I LANE COVE 2066 U Certificate U r~~'.R.A.P.I. of DOUGLAS MARTIN & ASSOCIATES PTY LTD U ereby certify that I have prepared the contents of this Statement in accordance with clauses 34 and 35 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation. U U : _ I 1j / 1 MT GIPPS LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT PROPOSED COMET/HILLGROVE GOLD PROJECT AUGUST 1989 NSW DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS AND ENERGY 17 JANO UBRARY Prepared by: Douglas Martin & Associates Pty Ltd Environmental Planning Consultants In association with Stuart Miller & Associates Pty Ltd WL.P.U. Consultants Pty Ltd Nigel Holmes & Associates Pollution Research Pty Ltd . ' ; 7 L I E.I.S. I TABLE OF CONTENTS I I IF 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Background I 1.3 Approvals Required 1.4 Project Description I 1.5 Significant Environmental Issues 1.6 Environmental Management Programmes I 2.0 PROJECT BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES AND APPROVAL PROCESS 2.1 Project Location I 2.2 Project Background 2.3 Project Ownership & Regional Interests 2.4 Project Objectives I 2.5 E.I.S. Objectives 2.6 Environmental Legislation I 2.6.1 Development Consent requirements under Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 2.6.2 Existing Mining Lease I 2.6.3 S.P.C.C. Approvals 2.6.4 Dept of Water Resources Permit I 2.6.5 Public Exhibition I 3.1 Mining Component 3.1.1 History I 3.1 .2 Tenements & Agreements 3.1.3 Geology I 3.1.4. Ore Reserves 3.1.5 Mining 3.1 .6 Development I 3.1.7 Energy Requirements 3.1.8 Mine Equipment & Installation Requirements I 3.1 .9 Construction 3.1.10 Water Treatment Dam I 3.1.11 Employment I I 3.2 Transport Component I 3.2.1. Traffic Generation 3.2.2 Proposed Transport Route & Alternatives P1 3.2.3 Employment 3.3 Processing Component I 3.3.1 Location 3.3.2 Description of Processing Plant 3.3.3 Construction Schedule I 3.3.4 Employment 3.3.5 Extension of existing tailings facility I 3.3.6 Process Water Recycling System (Decant) I 3.3.7 New Process Water Dam 4.0 EXISTING ENVIRONMENT 4.1 Mining Component I 4.1.1 Climate 4.1.2 Topography I 4.1.3 Soils 4.1.4 Existing Landuse, Tenure & Zoning 4.1.5 Hydrology & Water Quality I 4.1.6 Air Quality 4.1.7 Noise Survey & Existing Background Noise Levels I 4.1.8 Flora & Fauna 4.2 Transport Component I 4.2.1 Topography & Drainage 4.2.2 Land-Use I 4.2.3 Existing Road Network 4.2.4 Road Inventory 4.2.5 Traffic Volumes I 4.2.6 Noise 4.3 Processing Component I 4.3.1 Topography & Drainage 4.3.2 Water Management I 4.3.3 Land Use & Zoning 4.3.4 Noise 4.3.5 Air Quality P1 4.3.6 Socio-economics Li I I 5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 5.1 Mining Component 5.1.1 Soils 5.1.2 Hydrology & drainage 1 5.1 .3 Land-Use 5.1.4 Traffic Generation I 5.1.5 Noise 5.2 Transport Component I 5.2.1 Evaluation of Alternatives 5.2.2 Traffic Generation 5.2.3 Traffic Safety I 5.2.4 Noise 5.2.5 Dust Generation I 5.2.6 Socio-economics 5.3 Processing Component I 5.3.1 Noise 5.3.2 Air Quality I 5.3.3 Water Quality ~1 1 6.1 Mining Component 6.1.1 Water Treatment Dam I 6.1.2 Noise Managaement 6.2 Transport Component I 6.2.1 Proposed Roadworks 6.2.2 Traffic Management I 6.2.3 Dust Control 6.3 Processing Component 6.3.1 Water Management 1 6.3.2 Existing Water Monitoring Program 6.3.3 Proposed Water Monitoring Program I 6.3.4 Dust Control 7.0 ALTERNATIVES I 7.1 On-Site Processing 7.2 No Action I 8.0 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION 9.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY I 10.0 STUDY TEAM I APPENDICES 1. Evaluation of Transport Options I 2. Water Quality Data - Hillgrove I I I I Table 3.1 Comet Mine Resource Statement - May 1988 Table 3.2-1 Proposed Truck Traffic Volumes I Table 3.3-1 Ore Treatment Rates - Hiligrove I Table 4.1-1 Water Quality Summary - Vicinity of Comet Mine I Table 4.1-2 Background Noise Levels - Vicinity of Comet Mine I Table 4.2-1 Study Area Traffic Volumes Origin/Desinat ion Survey, May 1986 and Traffic Counts on MR.74 I Table 4.2-2 Traffic Volumes Roads Maintained by Dumaresq Shire I Table 4.3-1 Geographic Distribution of Hillgrove Workforce, 1989 I Table 5.1-1 Inventory of Proposed Noise Emission Sources at Comet Mine (No Noise Control Measures in Place) I Table 6.3-1 Parameters for Water Balance - Combined N.E.A.M./Comet Ore I Operation Table 6.3-2 Proposed Comet/N.E.A.M. Operation - Estimated Water Balance I for Average Annual Climatic Conditions (Year 4) I Table 6.3-3 Water Quality Monitoring Programme I Table 7.2-1 Combined Operation Comet/Hillgrove Employment and Income Effects for Each Year of Operation I I I I I I I I 2-1 Location Map I 2-2 Tenement Location & Geology Map I 3-1 Lease, Landholding & Topographic Map 3-2 Geology & Location Map 3-3 Comet Mine Geology I 3-4 Site Plan at Comet Mine 3-5 Conceptual Mine Development I 3-6 Transport Options 3-7 New Processing Plant Location Site Plan I 3-8 Process Plant Flow Chart 3-9 Proposed Water Management Scheme I 3-10 Existing Tailings Facility 3-11 Detail of Proposed Extension of Tailings Facility I 4-1.1 Evaporation and Rainfall 4-1.2 Temperature I 4-1.3 Wind Data - Armidale 4-1.4 Rainfall Intensity - Rockvale I 4-2 Local Hydrology - Water and Aquatic Fauna Sampling Locations 4-3 Existing Water Management I 4-4 Location and Distribution of Sub-Catchments I 5-1 Location of Houses in Proximity to Transport Route 6-1 Yearly Water Balance - Combined Operation (Year 4) I 6-2 Water Quality Monitoring Locations, Existing and Proposed I I I I I I 'p I 1.0 SUMMARY I 1.1 INTRODUCTION F1 This Environmental Impact Statement (E.I.S.) has been prepared by Douglas Martin & Associates Pty Ltd on behalf of Mt Gipps Limited which is seeking development I consent from Dumaresq Shire Council to operate a processing plant for gold ore at Hillgrove approximately 30km east of Armidale in Northern New South Wales. Gold ore would be transported to the plant from the Comet Gold Mine which is located near I Rockvale and is 42km by road to the north of the proposed Hillgrove plant site. The document has been prepared in accordance with the Director of the Department of I Planning guidelines issued on the 13th March, 1989. This first chapter summarises the planning and other government approvals required, briefly describes the project and goes I on to discuss the most significant environmental issues and outlines any proposed environmental management programmes. I 1.2 BACKGROUND 1 This proposal has resulted from two other proposals to reopen the Comet Gold Mine at Rockvale and carry out processing of the ore immediately adjacent to the mine I (Lewis, 1986; Martin, 1988). The latter of these proposals (Martin, 1988) was given development approval by I Dumaresq Shire Council in January, 1989. For financial reasons, it was then decided to carry out the processing at Hillgrove on a site which is presently used for mining and I processing by the New England Antimony Mine (N.E.A.M.) of which Mt Gipps became a joint-venture partner in May, 1989. 1.3 Approvals Required I The proposed site is presently zoned rural 1 A under the terms of the Dumaresq Shire Council Planning Scheme.