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Dartbrook Coal Mine Modification 7

IPC Presentation - Visual and Landscape Character ImpactsMichael Wright

April 2019

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Mine Authorisation Boundary

IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPE

DARTBROOK COAL MINE

•Upper Hunter and Sedgenhoe Valleys are Rural and Highly Scenic without coal mining activities

• ProposedDartbrookMineModificationisthemost northerly mine in the Hunter and extends into this highly scenic and valuable landscape

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AGRICULTURAL VALUES

•Landscape recognised by, and is fundamental to, the designation of Equine Critical Industry Cluster

•Broad river flats

•Rich and deep alluvial soils

•Abundant water supply

• Steeply undulating slopes

•Mild climate

• Ideal landscapes for horse breeding studs which are displayed in white on the adjoining map

WOLLEMI NATIONAL PARK

GOULBURN RIVERNATIONAL PARK

TIMOR

BYLONG

BUREEN

WINDY RIDGE

JAMES RANGE

DOYLES CREEK

UPPER ROUCHEL

JERRYS PLAINS

MOUNT PLEASANT

APPLETREE RIDGE

LIDDELL POWER STATION

BAYSWATER POWER STATION

BROKE

SCONESATUR

DENMAN

MERRIWA

ABERDEEN

SINGLETON

MURRURUNDI

MUSWELLBROOK

LegendUpper Hunter Valley Area (SRLUP)Local Government BoundarySuburbPrincipal RoadSecondary RoadM

5km CIC Buffer

10 km CIC Buffer

inor Road

ReservoirsMajor WatercourseMinor WatercourseTributary WatercouRailwayCadastre

Equine Critical Industry ClusterBiophysical Strategic Agricultural Lands Coal ApplicationsCoal Titles - MiningCoal Titles - ExploringCoal Titles - on behalf of the CrownPetroleum Titles

National ParkNature ReserveState Conservation AreaState Forest

±0 10 205km

Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association Mapping

Equine Critical Industry Cluster

Coal Titles - Active Coal Mines

National Park

IMPORTANCE OF LANDSCAPE

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VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

DARTBROOK MINE

for

Australian Pacific Coal LimitedJune 2018

MODIFICATION 7Environmental Assessment

•One (1) paragraph on visual impact assessment plus 2 photos

• “No private residences in the vicinity”

• “The New England Highway is the only public area affected”

• “Visual effect low”

•No mention of 192 B-Double truck movements every 3.5 minutes for 11 hours, or the impacts at the Kayuga Entry or coal handling facility at East Site

Environmental Assessment Report Mod 7 (AQC) - June 2018

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Dartbrook Mine

for

Australian Pacific Coal LimitedAugust 2018

MODIFICATION 7Response to Submissions

•2 pages on visual impact assessment plus 1 map

• Focuses on shaft shed with inadequate assessment of truck movements, stockpiles and other facilities

• Privatehousesnotpropertyassessed-only1houseidentifiedasbeing impacted

• Incorrectly states that other houses are screened by topography or vegetation

•Local roads or streets were not assessed

Response to Submission Report (AQC) - August 2018

VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

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•Visual impacts are not mentioned in the report

• “Social impacts actually experienced would be more akin to a new mine”

Assessment Report (DPE) - January 2019

VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

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Public Road

Private Road

Train Line

Aberdeen

Rail loop & CHPP

Bla

irm

ore

Lan

e

Invermein St

New

En

gland H

ighway

Dar

tbro

ok R

oad

Hunter RiverDartbrook

Hu

nter River

Abe

rcai

rney

Cre

scen

t

Kayuga

• National Highway - New England Highway

• Main Regional rail line - Main Northern Rail Line • 3 Local rural roads

• Local Streets in AberdeenHaul Road

Unfiltered views

Filtered views

PUBLIC AREAS

0 200 500 1000 2000 metres

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Houses

Houses with clear views

Aberdeen

Rail loop & CHPP

Bla

irm

ore

Lan

e

Invermein St

New

En

gland H

ighway

Dar

tbro

ok R

oad

Hunter RiverDartbrook

Hu

nter River

Kayuga

• 30 houses (approx.) in vicinity of the project

• 15 houses (approx.) have views of proposed mining activities

• 6 houses between 120m to 1200m have clear views of proposed mining activities

Haul Road

PRIVATE AREAS

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Public Road

Private Road

Train Line

• Shaft Shed + New Access Road - No footprint dimensions

• Haul Trucks - 192 oneway trips - 7am-6pm (1 every 3.5min) (11 hours a day)

• Kayuga entry area - Stockpile ROM 8m high - Haul truck parking and service facilities

• Coal handling and stockpiles at East Site

Aberdeen

Road

Haul

Bla

irm

ore

Lan

e

Invermein St

New

En

gland H

ighway

Dar

tbro

ok R

oad

Hunter RiverDartbrook

Hu

nter River

Abe

rcai

rney

Cre

scen

t

Kayuga

Kayuga Entry

Shaft Shed East Site

Rail loop & CHPP

VISUAL EFFECTS

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New England Highway Main Northern Rail Line House near Aberdeen House near Aberdeen Aberdeen - Abercairney Crescent Kayuga - Invermein St Houses in Kayuga Houses in Kayuga Dartbrook Road

240m 400m 1200m 1200m 1300m 500m 500m 500m 150m

Distances to nearest Mining Activity (metres)

Rail loop & CHPP

Bla

irm

ore

Lan

e

Invermein St

New

En

gland H

ighway

Dar

tbro

ok R

oad

Hunter River

Dartbrook

Hu

nter River

Abe

rcai

rney

C

resc

ent

Viewpoints

Haul Road

Kayuga Entry

Shaft Shed 1

1

2

2

3

4

53

4

678

5

6

9

7

8

9

Public Road

Private Road

Train Line

Aberdeen

VIEWPOINTS

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INDIRECT VISUAL IMPACTS

Radiance Gradient (10 W / cm sr)

Dark-Sky

Rural Areas

Rural Sky Suburban Sky

Mining Activity

Bright Suburban Sky Urban / Industrial Sky

0 0.40 1.00 3.00 9.00 20.00 >40.00

Aberdeen

Muswellbrook

Hebden

Mangoola

Scone

Howick

• Lightpollutionasignificantanddaily indirect visual impact on the areas close to mining

•Mines in a suburban to urban / industrial sky

•Rural areas outside of Aberdeen and Scone are in a dark to rural sky

•Dartbrook mine facilities are visible in this image even though the mine was inactive at the time of the photo

•Therefore when active, the mine will be yellow and red and much brighter.

Source: www.lightpollutionmap.info, Earth Observation Group, NOAA National Geophysical Data Center - Image Date: 2015

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MITIGATION•Tree Screening cannot be relied upon to provide a permanent visual barrier

•Existing tree plantings are varied in health and density

•Over time, the tree canopies will grow above the eyeline, exposing the mining activities to passing travellers on the Highway and Rail Line.

• Existing tree screens opposite the shaft shed site are growing slowly and with large gaps

• Existing tree screens on the embankment next to the rail line opposite the shaft shed site are in poor condition and quite transparent

• An example of maturing tree screens demonstrating the transparency as the canopies grow taller

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CONCLUSION•Visual impact has been overlooked throughout this assessment process

•EA - inadequate Visual Impact Assessment - lacking detail and overlooks sensitive receivers

•DPE requests Social Impact Assessment including visual impact assessment

•Response to Submissions Report - inadequate /understates impacts

•DPEAssessmentReportdoesnotmentionVisualImpactandyetstatesthatthe‘Modification7’istobe assessed as being “akin to a new mine”

•The proposed mining activities including 192 truck movement per day across the open rural floodplain,largebuildingsandstockpiles,and24/7activitiesatEastSite,willcreateasignificantvisualimpact on the rural character of the valley

•The Upper Hunter Valley landscapes and agricultural land uses need to be protected from the visual impacts of coal mining.