ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORT And ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME REPORT SUBMITTED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORIZATIONS IN TERMS OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT, 1998 AND THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WASTE ACT, 2008 IN RESPECT OF LISTED ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED BY APPLICATIONS IN TERMS OF THE MINERAL AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT, 2002 (MPRDA) (AS AMENDED). NAME OF APPLICANT: FOUR RIVERS TRADING 263 (Pty) TEL NO: 012 562 0078 / 082 901 0879 FAX NO: POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 902024, Bon Accord, 0009 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: Four Rivers Trading 263 (Pty) Ltd Portions 53, 127, 131 and 135 De Onderstepoort 300 JR District of Pretoria South Africa FILE REFERENCE NUMBER SAMRAD: GP/30/5/1/2/2/(10009)MR /GP30/5/1/2/3/2/1(10009) EM i Four Rivers Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) 1. IMPORTANT NOTICE In terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (Act 28 of 2002 as amended), the Minister must grant a prospecting or mining right if among others the mining “will not result in unacceptable pollution, ecological degradation or damage to the environment”. Unless an Environmental Authorisation can be granted following the evaluation of an Environmental Impact Assessment and an Environmental Management Programme report in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1998) (NEMA), it cannot be concluded that the said activities will not result in unacceptable pollution, ecological degradation or damage to the environment. In terms of section 16(3)(b) of the EIA Regulations, 2014, any report submitted as part of an application must be prepared in a format that may be determined by the Competent Authority and in terms of section 17 (1) (c) the competent Authority must check whether the application has taken into account any minimum requirements applicable or instructions or guidance provided by the competent authority to the submission of applications. It is therefore an instruction that the prescribed reports required in respect of applications for an environmental authorisation for listed activities triggered by an application for a right or a permit are submitted in the exact format of, and provide all the information required in terms of, this template. Furthermore please be advised that failure to submit the information required in the format provided in this template will be regarded as a failure to meet the requirements of the Regulation and will lead to the Environmental Authorisation being refused. It is furthermore an instruction that the Environmental Assessment Practitioner must process and interpret his/her research and analysis and use the findings thereof to compile the information required herein. (Unprocessed supporting information may be attached as appendices). The EAP must ensure that the information required is placed correctly in the relevant sections of the Report, in the order, and under the provided headings as set out below, and ensure that the report is not cluttered with ii Four Rivers Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) un-interpreted information and that it unambiguously represents the interpretation of the applicant. 2. OBJECTIVE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS The objective of the environmental impact assessment process is to, through a consultative process— (a) determine the policy and legislative context within which the activity is located and document how the proposed activity complies with and responds to the policy and legislative context; (b) describe the need and desirability of the proposed activity, including the need and desirability of the activity in the context of the preferred location; (c) identify the location of the development footprint within the preferred site based on an impact and risk assessment process inclusive of cumulative impacts and a ranking process of all the identified development footprint alternatives focusing on the geographical, physical, biological, social, economic, heritage and cultural aspects of the environment; (d) determine the—- (i) nature, significance, consequence, extent, duration and probability of the impacts occurring to inform identified preferred alternatives; and (ii) degree to which these impacts— (aa) can be reversed; (bb) may cause irreplaceable loss of resources, and (cc) can be avoided, managed or mitigated; (e) identify the most ideal location for the activity within the preferred site based on the lowest level of environmental sensitivity identified during the assessment; (f) identify, assess, and rank the impacts the activity will impose on the preferred location through the life of the activity; (g) identify suitable measures to manage, avoid or mitigate identified impacts; and (h) identify residual risks that need to be managed and monitored. iii Four Rivers Environmental Management Programme EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Project Description Four Rivers Trading 263 (Pty) has an approved Mining Right No. GP1009MR for the mining of sand, aggregate and gravel. The properties held under Mining Right No. GP1009MR were originally applied for in 2012. It was only in 2016 that the mining right was issued and execution took place in November 2016. EcoPartners has been appointed by Four Rivers to update the existing EMP (compiled 2012) to ensure compliance with the EMP requirements specified in the EIA Regulations, 2014, as amended. EMP content This document details the findings of the amendment of the EMP for the Four Rivers project on De Onderstepoort 300 JR in the Gauteng Province and is presented in the template prescribed by the DMR. Findings & Recommendations i Four Rivers Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) Air Quality It is recommended that dustfall monitoring be conducted as part of the mine’s air quality management plan, this should as a minimum adhere to the dust monitoring regulations. This should be undertaken throughout the life of mine to provide air quality trends. Surface Water Adhere to stormwater management plan. A surface water monitoring programme should be implemented. The water balance should be updated once more specific domestic and process water reticulation volumes are known The water balance should be refined annually during the life of the mine. Soils & Agricultural Potential Topsoil should be effectively stockpiled and managed. Minimise the period of exposure of soil surfaces through dedicated planning. Monitor the condition of all unpaved roads due to rainfall and potential of water run-off and erosion on unpaved roads, especially during rainy season Fauna & Flora Establish a fire break. The remaining natural areas should be managed to prevent further degradation. Continuous rehabilitation of the area should take place. A management plan for control of invasive/exotic plant species needs to be implemented. Freshwater No untreated water may be discharged to fresh surface water sources, the quality of the water discharged at the operation must be closely monitored. Socio-economic The local jobs created should be linked to a skills development programme for permanent employment as per the SLP. Establish a grievance mechanism that will specify procedures for lodging and registering complaints – by external parties, employees and contractors – and for responses to them including time limits for responding and addressing the complaint, and recording of same. Noise The mine should develop and implement a noise measurement programme Visual Maintain the general appearance of the facility as a whole. Blasting & Vibration ii Four Rivers Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) It is recommended that a standard blasting time is fixed and blasting notice boards setup at various routes around the project area that will inform the community blasting dates and times. A monitoring programme for recording blasting operations is recommended. Traffic Monitor the condition of the roads used. Repair the road where it becomes damaged due to mine traffic. Heritage Fence the graves at the entrance gate at Portion 131 in and have a management plan drafted by heritage expert for the sustainable preservation thereof. Identified historical sites of high significance should be preserved if possible and definitely mitigated if to be impacted by development actions Should subterranean presence of archaeological and/or historical sites, features or artefacts be discovered, further disturbance must be stopped and a qualified archaeologist must be called in to investigate the occurrence. Waste Management Develop a Waste Management Procedure Promote reduce, re-use and recycling of waste. iii Four Rivers Environmental Management Programme (EMPr) TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................... 1 2 EAP DETAILS ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4 3.1 LOCATION DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................................ 4 3.2 ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................................................. 4 3.3 REGIONAL SETTING ......................................................................................................................................................