carmichael mine project managing groundwater - adani facts groundwater.pdf · adani is committed to...
Post on 03-Aug-2020
14 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Managing Groundwater
Carmichael Mine Project
pg 2
Managing Groundwater Carmichael Mine and Rail Project
Water for the Carmichael Mine and Rail Project
For many years, from the development of the
Environmental Impact Statement through to today,
Adani Mining has been studying, assessing and
reviewing water management at the Carmichael Project.
We recognise the critical importance of managing any
impact on groundwater in and around the mine site.
Our extensive scientific studies have informed the
Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan or
GDEMP - one of the many management plans in place for
the construction and operation of the Carmichael Mine.
The GDEMP is a regulatory document that describes the
monitoring and management activities, and any approved
potential impacts to groundwater dependent ecosystems.
The plan also outlines the actions we will take to protect
these ecosystems during the construction and operation
of the Carmichael Mine and beyond, post operations.
The GDEMP has been through 11 rounds of assessment
with the Australian and Queensland Governments and
has also been independently reviewed by CSIRO and
Geoscience Australia.
On site, water will be used for:
• Washing coal – approximately 30% of coal will
be washed to increase its energy efficiency
• General human use – workshops, offices and
in the accommodation village
• Dust suppression – water is sprayed onto roads
and stockpiles to minimise dust to keep employees
and neighbours safe.
Water will come from:
• Suttor River water pumped under licence when
the river is in flood and after farmers and other
users have taken the water they need
• Groundwater – for the purpose of enabling safe mining
• Rain water
• Recycled water.
Environmental sampling at the Carmichael Mine site
pg 3
Groundwater assessment findings
As part of our extensive groundwater studies
completed between 2014 and 2018, we engaged
third party scientific and environmental experts to
complete field surveys, underground water monitoring
assessments and geological studies based on the
Australian water modelling guidelines. Groundwater
and potential groundwater drawdown have been
modelled for the life of the project and beyond to 2129.
This modelling reflects a range of climatic conditions
including drought.
During mining, groundwater is extracted from in and
around the mine to allow mining to occur safely. Adani
Mining has approval to take and reuse this water that
is removed. The water will come from local aquifers, the
Betts Creek beds, connected to coal seams beneath
the mine site. These aquifers are not connected to
the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). The mine is separated
from the GAB by a natural underground layer of thick
claystone, the Rewan Formation, which stops water
from moving from the GAB to the mine.
Moolayember Formation
The source aquifer of the Doongmabulla Springs
(Clematis Sandstone) will not be directly affected by mining.
The water source for the Doongmabulla Springs
A 250-300m thick layer of claystone, separating the Springs’ water source (Clematis Sandstone) and the water associated with mining (Betts Creek beds)
Clematis Sandstone
Doongmabulla Springs Open cut mine11km
Dunda beds
Rewan Formation
AB SeamsWater associated with miningBandanna
FormationBetts Creek beds
C SeamD Seam
Colinlea Sandstone
Early Permian
A cross-section of the ground beneath the Doongmabulla Springs and the Carmichael Mine site shows that they draw water from different underground sources.
pg 4
Location of the Carmichael Project
Collinsville
Mackay
Bowen
Townsville
ChartersTowers
Moranbah
Clermont
DysartMuttaburra
Abbot Point Terminal
Carmichael Rail Alignment
Aurizon Rail Network
GAB - Groundwater Management Unit Boundary
Doongmabulla Springs Complex
Bel
yand
o Ri
ve
r
S
ut tor River
CarmichaelCoal Mine
CarmichaelCoal Mine
50KM
Scale N
DoongmabullaSprings Complex
CarmichaelRiver
The Carmichael Mine will not source water from the Great Artesian Basin.
pg 5
How is groundwater monitored?
What’s in the GDEMP?
Adani does not have unlimited access to groundwater
– we will only take the water required to support
the safe operation of the mine at each stage of
production. The Carmichael Mine will produce
approximately 10 million tonnes of coal per annum
and we will only take the water required to operate
safely at this rate.
Groundwater monitoring will be regularly conducted
at more than 100 sites to observe and track water
levels. Some of these sites are grouped together
in the same location as ‘nested bores’.
The information from these monitoring bores is
used to ensure the mine’s water use is safe and
sustainable and will be reported to Federal and
State regulators. In addition, we will share the data
with local landholders and communities. Reports will
also be publicly available at www.adaniaustralia.com
Water monitoring will continue throughout the
life of the project and after mining is completed
to ensure early detection of any changes.
Conceptual map of the Carmichael Mine lease boundary, the open cut
mine (Phase 1), and the network of groundwater monitoring bores
Carmichael Open Cut Mine
(Phase 1)
N
Open Cut Mine Area Phase 1 (260 Ha)
Legend
Multiple Groundwater Monitoring Bores (More than 1 Bore)
Mining Lease Area (41,000 Ha)
Single Groundwater Monitoring Bores (1 Bore)
Doongmabulla Springs Complex
Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community
An extensive network of monitoring bores will track groundwater levels around the Carmichael Mine
Doongmabulla Springs Complex
The GDEMP:
The Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan (GDEMP) is a regulatory document that outlines
the actions we will take to protect the Doongmabulla Springs and groundwater dependent species during
the construction and operation of the Carmichael Mine, ensuring we meet project conditions.
• Describes the assessed and approved impacts to groundwater and ecology of the Groundwater
Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs)
• Details the environmental values that have been monitored
• Identifies goals and triggers for each GDE, which will be refined over time
• Details the monitoring program throughout the project
• Describes mitigation and management measures
• Achieves compliance with relevant Commonwealth and Queensland approvals.
How is groundwater protected?
There are more than 270 conditions within the mine
approvals to protect the natural environment and
100 of those relate to managing groundwater.
The GDEMP outlines how we will meet the regulatory
conditions to protect the ecosystems that depend
on groundwater. This includes a range of ‘triggers
to take action’ that will be investigated, reported
and acted upon to ensure we stay within approved limits.
All of these triggers were modelled on a mine producing
coal at 60 million tonnes per annum and, as we now plan
to commence at 10 million tonnes per annum, we are
confident we will not reach these limits.
‘Make good’ provisions exist in case there is a drop
in water levels of those bores neighbouring the mine
site. If water levels drop, Adani Mining will supply water
to landholders to replace what has been lost or provide
compensation. The Queensland Government has a
range of ‘make good’ measures in place across the
mining industry.
As well as these protections, we will review planned
mining activities to ensure we stay within approved
groundwater impact levels.
Adani is committed to responsibly managing groundwater and will continue to monitor and report on any potential
impacts throughout the life of the project and beyond.
For more information on water use and management for the Carmichael Project, visit www.adaniaustralia.com and
download our ‘Safe and Sustainable Water Management’ and ‘Protecting the Doongmabulla Springs’ fact sheets.
April 2019To find out more about the Carmichael Mine Project, visit www.adaniaustralia.com or call us on 1800 423 264.
Safeguards exist in case there is any seepage from the Great Artesian Basin to the mine site.
‘Make good’ provisions exist in the unlikely event of a drop in water levels in neighbouring bores.
Mining operations will be reviewed to make sure we only use our approved amount of water.
Over 100 monitoring bores will track underground water levels.
Adani must regularly report to Australian and Queensland regulators.
The Rewan Formation is a 250-300m underground formation that forms a natural barrier between the mine and the Great Artesian Basin.
The GDEMP is based on extensive and verified scientific findings.
1. MONITORING SYSTEM 100+ monitoring bores will operate
across the mining site to observe
underground water levels.
2. EARLY WARNING TRIGGERS Early warning triggers will be alerted
if there are unforeseen impacts
outside our conditions.
3. INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING All triggers will be thoroughly
investigated and reported to regulators.
4. IMPLEMENT CORRECTIVE MEASURES If early warning triggers are alerted, we
will identify and implement corrective
measures to ensure approved limits are
not exceeded – including a review of
mining operations at the time.
top related