12
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries Report No.930/01 ES-1 R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED Executive Summary INTRODUCTION This Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been prepared by RW Corkery & Co. Pty Limited on behalf of Oberon Earthmoving Pty Limited (“the Applicant”) to support a development application for the continued operation and extension of Middle Creek Quarries (“the Quarry”). The existing Quarry has been operated since 2014 under development consent DA 10.2010.66.1, which limits disturbance to less than 2ha and production to less than 30 000m 3 . Figure A identifies the regional setting of the Quarry, approximately 3.5km west of Oberon on Lot 2 DP 1112479 (50 Sewells Creek Road), referred to herein as the Project Site. The proposed extension of the Quarry would include progressively increasing the extraction area to approximately 15ha (see Figure B) and providing for transport of up to 250 000tpa of product. By virtue of total disturbance exceeding 2ha and production exceeding 30 000m 3 , the proposed development is considered ‘designatedunder the provisions of Schedule 3(1) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Reg). As Designated Development for the purpose of extractive industry, the Proposal is also classified as Regional Development under Part 4 of the State Environmental Planning Policy - State and Regional Development 2011 by effect of Schedule 4A(8) of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). As Regional Development, the development application will be determined by the Joint Regional Planning Panel Western Region. Figure A Locality Plan and Local Setting A4/colour Dated 02/05/16 Inserted 17/05/16 This EIS describes the proposed modifications to the currently approved operations (“the Proposal”), describes the environment within and surrounding the Quarry, presents the environmental safeguards the Applicant would incorporate into the design and operation of the Quarry and assesses the impacts (if any) that the safeguarded activities would have on the local environment. The EIS also evaluates the Proposal in terms of Ecologically Sustainable Development, justifies the Proposal in terms of biophysical, economic and social considerations and examines the consequences of not proceeding with the Proposal.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

  • Upload
    hakien

  • View
    228

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED

Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries

Report No.930/01

ES-1

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION

This Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

has been prepared by RW Corkery & Co.

Pty Limited on behalf of Oberon

Earthmoving Pty Limited (“the Applicant”)

to support a development application for the

continued operation and extension of

Middle Creek Quarries (“the Quarry”).

The existing Quarry has been operated

since 2014 under development consent

DA 10.2010.66.1, which limits disturbance

to less than 2ha and production to less than

30 000m3. Figure A identifies the regional

setting of the Quarry, approximately 3.5km

west of Oberon on Lot 2 DP 1112479

(50 Sewells Creek Road), referred to herein

as the Project Site.

The proposed extension of the Quarry

would include progressively increasing the

extraction area to approximately 15ha (see

Figure B) and providing for transport of up

to 250 000tpa of product.

By virtue of total disturbance exceeding 2ha

and production exceeding 30 000m3, the

proposed development is considered

‘designated’ under the provisions of

Schedule 3(1) of the Environmental

Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000

(EP&A Reg). As Designated Development

for the purpose of extractive industry, the

Proposal is also classified as Regional

Development under Part 4 of the State

Environmental Planning Policy - State and

Regional Development 2011 by effect of

Schedule 4A(8) of the Environmental

Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A

Act). As Regional Development, the

development application will be determined

by the Joint Regional Planning Panel –

Western Region.

Figure A Locality Plan and Local

Setting

A4/colour

Dated 02/05/16 Inserted 17/05/16

This EIS describes the proposed

modifications to the currently approved

operations (“the Proposal”), describes the

environment within and surrounding the

Quarry, presents the environmental

safeguards the Applicant would incorporate

into the design and operation of the Quarry

and assesses the impacts (if any) that the

safeguarded activities would have on the

local environment.

The EIS also evaluates the Proposal in

terms of Ecologically Sustainable

Development, justifies the Proposal in

terms of biophysical, economic and social

considerations and examines the

consequences of not proceeding with the

Proposal.

Page 2: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Middle Creek Quarries Executive Summary

Report No.930/01

ES-2

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

Figure B Project Site Layout

A4/colour

Dated 04/05/16 / Inserted 17/05/16

Page 3: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED

Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries

Report No.930/01

ES-3

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

THE PROPOSAL

The Proposal incorporates the following

key components, identified as relevant on

Figure B.

An increase in the extraction area to

approximately 15ha, further segregated

into three separate cells.

Cell 1: an area of approximately

5.9ha (including the current

extraction area) extending from the

existing quarry.

Cell 2: an area of approximately

4.4ha incorporating the most

elevated and northerly section of the

ridge.

Cell 3: linking Cells 1 and 2 and

incorporating an area of

approximately 4.7ha along the top of

the ridge.

An increase in the rate of extraction and

production up to a maximum of

150 000tpa with an expected average of

80 000tpa.

Campaign crushing and screening of the

extracted rock (to suit customer

requirements).

Importation of:

– raw mulch (up to 25 000tpa);

– ENM (up to 50 000tpa); and

– treated drilling mud generated by

hydro-excavation methods (up to

60 000tpa).

for stockpiling and sale, composting

blending with extracted gravel, or

application to the completed extraction

area as part of rehabilitation of the

Quarry.

The combined production of gravel, fill,

soil, mulch and other specialty products

would not exceed 250 000tpa.

Installation of various erosion and

sediment control features to prevent

uncontrolled and contaminated discharge

from the Project Site.

Progressive rehabilitation of the

extraction area and other disturbance to

create a final landform amenable to

future agricultural, or other agreed, land

use.

The extraction operations would be

undertaken in a similar manner to existing

operations with erosion and sediment

controls first established followed by

vegetation clearing and soil removal (where

practical) to expose the underlying rock.

Any non-gravel overburden would be

removed and stockpiled either for sale as

select fill or replacement within the final

landform followed by extraction of the

gravel. Initially, the rock would be won by

ripping (using a bulldozer), however, where

the rock becomes too hard to win by

ripping, the Applicant would use

conventional drill and blast methods to

fracture the rock before ripping and

extraction.

As the rock becomes harder at depth, and

dependent on customer size requirements,

crushing and screening of the gravel would

be required. This rock would be loaded to a

mobile crushing unit, initially located

within the Crushing, Screening and

Resource Recovery Area, to reduce the size

and either separate into specific sizes or

produce a graded products. Rock which is

not loaded directly to the crushing unit

would be placed in stockpiles for future

crushing. Depending on the specifications

required by customers, additional screening

and/or blending with stockpiled overburden,

imported soils or other products could be

undertaken.

Page 4: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Middle Creek Quarries Executive Summary

Report No.930/01

ES-4

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

Waste materials to be accepted on to the

Project Site would be classified as follows.

Organic (Woody) Waste (Raw Mulch).

Excavated Natural Material (ENM).

Treated Drilling Mud.

Each would only be accepted in accordance

with the relevant Resource Recovery Order

issued under Part 9 of Protection of the

Environment Operations (Waste)

Regulation 2014 (POEO (Waste) Reg) and

either:

stockpiled for future sale (without

modification) within 12 months of

acceptance;

applied to land in accordance with the

relevant Resource Recovery Exemption

issued under Part 9 of the POEO

(Waste) Reg;

screened and blended to produce a

specialty gravel, fill or soil products; or

composted.

Screening / Blending

From stockpiles, selected ENM and treated

drilling muds would be screened to either

remove large rocks and organic material, or

produce a specific size fraction. The

screened material would be stockpiled for

sale or further blending with the Quarry

gravel to generate a specific gravel/fill

product.

Composting

From stockpiles, raw mulch would be

chipped, shredded, mulched and screened to

generate the specific size and consistency

required for each product. Material

designated for the production of compost

would be placed in wind rows for

pasteurisation (reduction in pathogens and

plant propagules) and maturation (to

biological stability) of the compost.

The proposed composting process would be

aerobic, to reduce the potential for odours,

and segregated from other Project Site

runoff, to prevent pollution of land or water

off the Project Site.

Quarry products would be despatched from

the Project Site via Sewells Creek and

Abercrombie Roads, towards Oberon and

beyond. The transportation of quarry

products would be undertaken

predominantly using truck and dog trailers

(50m3/32t), although larger vehicles (up to

B-double arrangement) or smaller vehicles,

such as rigid trucks, could be used.

The Applicant would generally restrict

extraction and processing operations to

between 6:30am and 6:30pm, Monday –

Friday and 8:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday.

Haulage operations are proposed to be

undertaken 24 hours per day (to

accommodate deliveries of waste materials

from facilities which operate 24 hours per

day).

The Applicant would adopt a progressive

approach to the rehabilitation of disturbed

areas to ensure that, where practicable, as

extraction is completed, a stable landform is

finalised and vegetated. The final landform,

whilst not a replication of the pre-quarry

landform, would remain sympathetic to the

local visual aesthetic of cleared grazing

land with occasional crops. A final land use

of low intensity agriculture and passive

biodiversity conservation is proposed.

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING

Land Ownership and Use

The Project Site lies within Lot 2

DP 1112479 which is owned by a company

associated with the Applicant. Figure C

presents the land ownership and residences

within and surrounding the Project Site. The

residences shown are included based on

their likelihood of being impacted by the

Proposal.

Page 5: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED

Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries

Report No.930/01

ES-5

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

Figure C Land Ownership and Residences

A4/colour

Dated 27/04/16 / Inserted 17/05/16

Page 6: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Middle Creek Quarries Executive Summary

Report No.930/01

ES-6

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

Land uses on and surrounding the Project

Site have been categorised as:

agriculture and rural-residential;

forestry; and

infrastructure and services.

Topography

Elevations of the local topography range

from approximately 1 138m AHD at

Humphries Bald Hill approximately 2km to

the north of the Project Site to 1 000m AHD

at Captain Kings Creek approximately 2km

west of the Project Site (see Figure D). The

landform is undulating with the Project Site

principally located on a north-south ridge

with elevations ranging up to 1 160m AHD

across the top of the ridge and down to

1 100m AHD at the base of the ridge.

Drainage and Water Resources

The Project Site is located towards the

headwaters of the Campbells River water

source within the Macquarie River

catchment.

The majority of the Project Site drains to

the south and west into Captain Kings

Creek which flows in a westerly then

northerly direction before discharging into

Sewells Creek (approximately 19km

downstream). Sewells Creek discharges to

the Campbells River upstream of Ben

Chifley Dam. The northern and eastern

portions of the Project Site drain to the

north into Middle Creek which flows to the

northwest into Wisemans Creek which then

discharges into the Campbells River

upstream of Ben Chifley Dam.

A review of the Department of Primary

Industries - Water online Continuous Water

Monitoring Network database identifies

11 registered groundwater bores within

2.5km of the Project Site. An analysis of the

data confirms that water is generally

contained within shale and/or basalt,

i.e. different geology to that of the

extraction area, at elevations (AHD) below

that targeted for extraction.

Soils and Land Capability

The Project Site is located over the Oberon

Soil Landscape, the soils of which derive

from the andesite, tuff, slate and greywacke

rocks of volcanic origin. The soils of the

Project Site vary from shallow red

Krasnozems over the ridge associated with

the current extraction area to deeper brown

red earth aligned soils at the northern end of

the ridge line to be extracted. These soils

are generally slightly acidic, non-sodic, low

salinity and are assigned a low to moderate

erosion hazard.

The soil and land capability class of the

Project Site has been previously mapped as

Class 6, i.e. land with severe limitations and

generally restricted to grazing.

Biodiversity

Following field survey of the Project Site,

no Endangered Ecological Communities or

threatened flora were identified within those

areas to be disturbed.

Two threatened fauna species were

identified as occurring with potential

foraging habitat identified for a further ten

threatened fauna species.

Cultural Heritage

The Project Site is located within the tribal

boundaries of the Wiradjuri people

(‘Wiradjuri country’). Wiradjuri country is

bound by three rivers: Macquarie, Lachlan,

and Murrumbidgee and extends from

Dubbo and Bylong in the north to

Tallangatta in the south, Lithgow in the east

to the Hay Plain and Ivanhoe in the west.

No artefacts or site of Aboriginal heritage

were identified within those areas of the

Project Site to be disturbed, although two

sites were identified to the west of the

Quarry Access Road (see Figure D).

Page 7: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED

Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries

Report No.930/01

ES-7

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

Figure D Environmental Setting

A4/colour

Dated 17/05/16 / Inserted 17/5/16

Page 8: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Middle Creek Quarries Executive Summary

Report No.930/01

ES-8

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

A desktop search of the area covered by the

Oberon Shire Local Government Area

(LGA) identified a single historic (non-

Aboriginal) heritage site, Oberon General

Cemetery, approximately 2km east of the

Project Site.

Air Quality

The air quality of the environs surrounding

the Project Site is typical of a semi-rural

setting with airborne contaminants

generated by existing land uses.

Given the presence of active forestry,

milling and wood manufacturing operations

within the Oberon Shire, odours associated

with logging and milling activities are a

feature of the local setting.

Noise

The Project Site is situated within a rural

setting immediately surrounded by

12 residential receivers within 2km.

The existing noise levels in the vicinity the

Project Site are influenced by sources

associated by agricultural activities, traffic

on local roads, wind and the urban centre of

Oberon to the east.

Noise monitoring established a background

(L90) noise level of 34dB(A) and 30dB(A)

for the day time and evening/night periods

respectively.

Traffic

The route of vehicles travelling to and from

the Project Site would utilise two roads

between the Project Site and Oberon

(Sewells Creek and Abercrombie Roads)

resulting in a small increase in the volume

of traffic using these.

Sewells Creek Road is a 7m sealed two

lane road with 0.5m to 1m sealed

shoulders, reflector posts, double centre

line and shoulder markings maintained

by Council.

Abercrombie Road (MR 256) is a 7m

sealed two land road with sealed

shoulders varying from approximately

0.3m to >1m, reflector posts, centre

line and shoulder markings.

Both roads are well-maintained with the

pavement in relatively good condition with

no potholes, corrugation or other significant

deformation.

The Quarry Access Road intersects Sewells

Creek Road in a T-intersection

configuration. The intersection is a basic

rural intersection without turning or

auxiliary lanes. The Sewells Creek Road –

Abercrombie Road intersection is also a

basic rural T-intersection configuration with

Abercrombie Road having right of way.

Safe Intersection Sight Distance exceeding

that recommended by Austroads is present

at both intersections.

Visibility

The local setting is dominated by the urban

centre of Oberon to the east of the Project

Site, in particular the Oberon MDF Facility,

and the dense vegetation of Essington State

Forest to the west and north of the Project

Site.

The remaining landscape is characterised by

undulating hills and valleys with vegetation

occurring on hill tops and along drainage

lines or as constructed wind breaks (see

Figure D).

The Quarry is not currently visible from

residences surrounding the Project Site.

ENVIRONMENTAL SAFEGUARDS AND IMPACTS

Soil and Water Resources

The use of appropriate soil stripping,

handling and stockpiling procedures,

together with appropriate surface water

controls would minimise the impact to the

Page 9: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED

Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries

Report No.930/01

ES-9

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

soils and land capability of the Project Site.

Proposed safeguards and management

practices include the following key features.

The diversion of clean water around the

areas of disturbance and discharge at

non-erosive velocities.

The collection and retention of all runoff

from disturbed areas, with discharge

only occurring under high rainfall

conditions (exceeding the approved

design specifications of each sediment

basins) or following confirmation of

compliance with water quality criteria.

The collection of runoff from the

composting activities with all ‘contact’

water stored within an impermeable

dam.

It has been assessed that with the

implementation of this approach to water

management there would be no significant

impacts upon surface water quality or

quantity downstream of the Project Site.

An assessment of available water resources

against predicted maximum water

requirements has been completed and

indicates that sufficient water would be

available from rainfall and runoff to supply

the Proposal.

Local groundwater occurs below the

maximum depth of extraction and as such,

there would be no direct impact on

groundwater.

Noise and Blasting

Given the Project Site’s relative isolation,

the low noise impact of current operations,

and the minimal changes to noise

generating activities on the Project Site, it

has been assessed that there would be

minimal change to the existing noise

environment.

Noise modelling has confirmed that the

proposed Quarry operations, including

extended extraction, campaign crushing,

resource recovery and increased transport,

could be undertaken without exceedance of

the noise or blasting criteria established in

accordance with the NSW Industrial Noise

Policy, NSW Road Noise Policy and the

ANZECC Technical Basis for Guidelines to

Minimise Annoyance Due to Blasting.

Air Quality

While the Proposal would result in some

dust generating activities occurring closer to

several residences, it has been assessed as

unlikely that these changes would result in

dust or other airborne particulate matter

concentrations exceeding assessment

criteria of the EPA.

The potential for odour generation from the

proposed composting process would be

managed by restricting raw feed to low

odour risk, non-putrescible woody

materials, and maintenance of an aerobic

process. These measures notwithstanding,

and in accordance with EPA Victoria’s

guidelines for management of open air

aerobic composting facilities, the proposed

composting activities would be located at

least 1.1km from those residences, based on

the prevailing winds of the Oberon area,

most likely to be exposed to any odour.

This notwithstanding, the Applicant has

committed to implementing an Odour

Management Plan as part of ongoing

operations which would include details on

monitoring and contingency management.

Biodiversity

Based on the relatively small areas of

habitat to be disturbed and occurrence of

this habitat in the surrounding areas, the

Proposal has been assessed as unlikely to:

significantly affect any of the identified

threatened species;

Page 10: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Middle Creek Quarries Executive Summary

Report No.930/01

ES-10

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

augment or significantly contribute to

any of the identified Key Threatening

Processes;

significantly impact any Ramsar

wetland or any CAMBA or JAMBA

listed species; and

significantly adversely affect the local

biodiversity.

Aboriginal Heritage

The Proposal would not impact directly on

Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal cultural

heritage, with the sites identified to the west

of the Quarry Access Road to be protected

(by fencing) from disturbance.

On the basis of adherence to the obligations

of the National Parks & Wildlife Act 1974,

and implementation of an Unanticipated

Finds Protocol as required, the Proposal

would continue to have no impact on

Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Historic Heritage

The Proposal would have no direct impact

on the identified historic heritage site

(Oberon General Cemetery).

Indirect impacts on this site, as a result of

vibration through blasting or traffic, are also

extremely unlikely.

Traffic

The Proposal would result in a small

increase in the volume of traffic using

Sewells Creek and Abercrombie Roads.

The current volume of traffic using these

roads is well within capacity in their current

form, with the small increase in traffic

movements unlikely to affect the level of

service currently provided by the Sewells

Creek Road – Abercrombie Road

intersection. An upgrade to the intersection

of the Quarry Access Road with Sewells

Creek Road is proposed to ensure safe entry

and exit of vehicles from the Quarry.

Given heavy vehicle traffic, primarily in the

form of log or woodchip trucks, is already

an established feature of local roads in the

Oberon Shire LGA, and on the basis of the

proposed driver management, road

improvements and contributions proposed

by the Applicant, it is assessed as unlikely

that the Proposal would have an

unacceptable impact on the local road

network or road users.

Visual

The Proposal would require an increase to

the limit of extraction and as such, an

increase in the area of the Project Site

exposed to ground disturbing activities.

However, this increase in disturbance on the

Project Site would have practically no

effect on the visibility of the Quarry

operations from residential receivers and

local roads, with the features of the local

setting which currently screen the existing

Quarry, continuing to be effective.

Socio-economic

In order to assess the overall impact of the

proposed quarry extension on the socio-

economic environment, the various adverse

and beneficial impacts were considered.

Adverse impacts include the previously

considered impacts on noise, air

quality, traffic and visibility, and

possible minor impacts on the aesthetic

appeal of the Project Site.

Beneficial impacts would include the

continued provision of local

employment and the continued supply

of the products required locally for

road building, landscaping and

construction projects.

Considering the potential socio-economic

benefits against those deemed to be adverse,

it is assessed that there would be a net

socio-economic benefit arising from the

approval of the Proposal.

Page 11: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED

Executive Summary Middle Creek Quarries

Report No.930/01

ES-11

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

CONCLUSION

Since commencement of extraction from

the Quarry in 2014, demand for the gravel

products, which are well suited to

construction and maintenance of local and

State Forest roads has increased with

approved production limits now a limiting

factor on activities. It is expected that the

demand for road construction materials will

continue with the Quarry representing one

of only a small number of local quarries

able to supply demand.

Development of residential, infrastructure

and industrial projects invariably generate

excess or requires additional stabilised fill

materials as part of these developments.

The completed extraction area, being well

screened and relatively isolated from

sensitive receivers, offers an ideal location

for storage of materials from other

developments prior to supply as fill.

The local forestry, milling and wood

product manufacturing industries of the

Oberon Shire LGA generate significant

volumes of organic (woody) waste. The

Quarry presents a nearby, already disturbed,

well screened and relatively isolated

location where these ‘waste’ materials may

be stockpiled (for processing and/or

composting) to create a variety of mulches

and composts.

As is described in this EIS, the potential

impacts of the Proposal can be predicted

and could proceed within the limits of

accepted criteria or goals and with minimal

adverse impact on the surrounding

environment. It has also been assessed that

the Proposal is consistent with the features

which distinguish an ecologically

sustainable approach to development, in

that, the proposed extension to the Quarry

would provide important materials required

for the continued development of the region

and provide employment with the Oberon

Shire LGA, while only resulting in minor

yet acceptable environmental impacts.

The consequences of not proceeding with

the Proposal also weigh heavily in favour of

proceeding with the Proposal.

i) Operations at the Quarry would be

limited by the existing development

consent and would cease in the

foreseeable future as the resource

extractable from the approved area is

exhausted.

ii) The opportunity to maintain

employment for on-site personnel and

truck drivers for in excess of 20 years

would be foregone.

iii) The opportunity to develop resource

recovery operations, for transformation

of waste generated in the local area and

region into products with beneficial

uses, would be foregone and potentially

realised within another LGA.

iv) The flow-on benefits through

expenditure of wages and goods and

services purchases would be foregone.

v) The minor impacts on the local

biophysical environment would not

eventuate.

On balance, therefore, the approval of the

Proposal can be justified on the basis that:

it is a permissible activity which

complies with NSW and local planning

instruments and legislation;

the perceived adverse impacts on the

local environment would be minor and

offset by the identified socio-economic

benefits; and

it would be undertaken in accordance

with the four principles of ESD.

Page 12: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT OBERON EARTHMOVING … Exec Summar… · environmental impact statement oberon earthmoving pty limited ... waste materials to be ... environmental impact

OBERON EARTHMOVING PTY LIMITED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

Middle Creek Quarries Executive Summary

Report No.930/01

ES-12

R. W. CORKERY & CO. PTY. LIMITED

This page has intentionally been left blank