APPENDIX 5 – BIODIVERSITY 2018 Annual Review – Wilpinjong Coal Mine Appendix 5 - Biodiversity Biodiversity Offset Strategy 2018 Annual Review – Wilpinjong Coal Mine Appendix 5 - Biodiversity 2018 Annual Review – Wilpinjong Coal Mine Appendix 5 - Biodiversity Biodiversity Reports Wilpinjong Coal Mine Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018 Prepared for Wilpinjong Coal Pty Ltd 30 March 2019 Wilpinjong Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018 DOCUMENT TRACKING Item Detail Project Name Wilpinjong Coal Mine Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018 Project Number 18MUD-9579 Kalya Abbey Project Manager Unit 1, Level 1, 79 Market St. Mudgee, 2850 Prepared by Kate Maslen; Angelina Siegrist Reviewed by Kalya Abbey; Peter Hancock Approved by Daniel Magdi Status Final Version Number V2 Last saved on 30 March 2019 Cover photo Site WO3 (downstream), taken 29/11/2018 (Credit: Cassandra Holt) This report should be cited as ‘Eco Logical Australia 2019. Wilpinjong Coal Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018. Prepared for Wilpinjong Coal Pty. Ltd.’ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This document has been prepared by Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd with support from WCPL Disclaimer This document may only be used for the purpose for which it was commissioned and in accordance with the contract between Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd and Wilpinjong Coal Pty. Ltd. The scope of services was defined in consultation with Wilpinjong Coal Pty. Ltd, by time and budgetary constraints imposed by the client, and the availability of reports and other data on the subject area. Changes to available information, legislation and schedules are made on an ongoing basis and readers should obtain up to date information. Eco Logical Australia Pty Ltd accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for or in respect of any use of or reliance upon this report and its supporting material by any third party. Information provided is not intended to be a substitute for site specific assessment or legal advice in relation to any matter. Unauthorised use of this report in any form is prohibited. © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA P T Y L T D ii Wilpinjong Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018 Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Regional overview ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Scope of works ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.4 Previous aquatic ecology assessments ....................................................................................... 1 2 Methods ....................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Survey overview ........................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Survey methods ............................................................................................................................ 4 2.2.1 Aquatic Habitat Assessment ......................................................................................................... 4 2.2.2 Physico-chemistry ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.2.3 Macroinvertebrate Community ..................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Climate and flow ........................................................................................................................... 7 3 Results ......................................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Habitat assessment and RCE ...................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Water quality ............................................................................................................................... 14 3.3 Macroinvertebrate communities ................................................................................................. 14 3.3.1 Taxa richness ............................................................................................................................. 14 3.3.2 SIGNAL ....................................................................................................................................... 15 4 Discussion................................................................................................................................. 16 4.1 Habitat Assessment and RCE .................................................................................................... 16 4.2 Water quality ............................................................................................................................... 16 4.3 Macroinvertebrate communities ................................................................................................. 17 5 Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................................... 18 6 References ................................................................................................................................ 19 Appendix A – Site photos ..................................................................................................................... 20 Appendix B - Macroinvertebrate data (presence and absence) ....................................................... 27 © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA P T Y L T D iii Wilpinjong Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018 List of figures Figure 1: Monitoring sites along Wilpinjong, Wollar and Cumbo Creeks ................................................... 3 Figure 2: Stream flow upstream of the WCPL mine discharge point (1/2/2012 to 30/11/2018) ................ 8 Figure 3: Stream flow downstream of the WCPL mine discharge point (1/2/2012 to 30/11/2018) ............ 8 List of tables Table 1: 2018 monitoring sites ................................................................................................................... 2 Table 2: Temperature and rainfall data for the spring 2018 monitoring period .......................................... 7 Table 3: Temperature and rainfall data for the six months prior to monitoring .......................................... 7 Table 4: Site by site results for the 13 RCE parameters ............................................................................ 9 Table 5: Physico-chemical results ............................................................................................................ 14 Table 6: Results of the two macroinvertebrate indices ............................................................................ 15 © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA P T Y L T D iv Wilpinjong Stream Health Monitoring – Spring 2018 Abbreviations Abbreviation Description ANZECC Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council AUSRIVAS Australian River Assessment System DO Dissolved oxygen EC Electrical conductivity ELA Eco Logical Australia EPL Environment Protection Licence NP National Park RCE Riparian, Channel and Environment SHM Stream Health Monitoring SIGNAL Stream Invertebrate Grade Number Average Level SWMMP Surface Water Management and Monitoring Plan WCM Wilpinjong Coal Mine WCPL Wilpinjong Coal Pty Ltd © ECO LOGICAL AUSTRALIA P T Y L T D v Wilpinjong Stream Health Monitoring – s pr i n g 2018 1 Introduction 1.1 Background The Wilpinjong Coal Mine (WCM) is located in the upper Hunter Valley, approximately 45 km north-east of Mudgee in New South Wales. The mine is owned and operated by Wilpinjong Coal Pty Ltd (WCPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Peabody Energy Australia. WCPL are required to undertake Stream Health Monitoring (SHM) as part of Appendix 2 of the Wilpinjong Water Management Plan (WCPL 2017). Eleven previous surveys have been undertaken, with the last occurring in spring 2017 (WCPL 2017) 1.2 Regional overview Wilpinjong Creek is the main waterway flowing past the WCM. It is an intermittent creek with a narrow floodplain that has a history of cattle grazing. The main channel contains dense beds of Phragmites sp. (Common Reed) and Typha sp. (Bulrush) for most of the reach included in this assessment. The northern edge of the floodplain is bordered by the Goulburn River National Park (NP). Wilpinjong Creek has three coal mines in its catchment, including Moolarben, Ulan, and Wilpinjong, with the latter being the most downstream. WCPL discharges water, treated by reverse osmosis, into Wilpinjong Creek at a point adjacent to the WCM. Cumbo Creek flows north through land managed by WCPL, passing between Pit 3 and Pit 4. Cumbo Creek joins Wilpinjong Creek north of the eastern pit area. Approximately 4.5 km downstream of where Wilpinjong Creek flows past WCM, it joins Wollar Creek, which continues another 13 km through the Goulburn River NP before it enters the Goulburn River. 1.3 Scope of works Eco Logical Australia (ELA) was commissioned by WCPL to conduct the latest round of SHM. Monitoring included assessments of macroinvertebrate communities, basic water quality, habitat conditions, and channel conditions. Appendix 2 of the WCPL Water Management