Water Management and the environment
Altona believes that a responsible and sustainable Groundwater Management Plan (GMP) is an essential pre-requisite for the approval of the Arckaringa Project.
Apart from meeting the strict legislative and regulatory requirements governing the use of water in the Far North of South Australia, Altona has a philosophical commitment to the preservation of all sensitive environments.
The proposed open cut mine will intersect the regional aquifer systems of the Eromanga Basin near the western edge of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB).
Altona is developing its GMP to ensure that necessary dewatering of the mining area can be managed effectively by water treatment, aquifer reinjection and other measures to protect GAB mound springs, pastoral bores and the long-term health of the aquifer systems.
The project itself will be virtually self sufficient in water in that the high moisture content in the coal will be released during gasification and, on condensing, will provide all the water needed for plant processes. Neither the mine nor the Coal to Liquid (CTL) and Power plants will require any drawdowns from the GAB in order to operate.
Altona recognises that pastoralists have addressed the issue of responsible management of water from the GAB and its sub basins. Just as that industry has adopted positive water management in recent years by making changes to wells and using piping to minimise evaporation, Altona plans to employ best practice water management measures to minimise its net use of water and ensure the sustainability of regional aquifer systems.
We have engaged with the major Mound Springs research project funded by the Commonwealth and State governments and the South Australia Arid Lands Natural Resource Management Board, and will continue to work with them and share results of our hydrogeological studies.
Groundwater Management Plan
The Arckaringa Project has the potential to supply suitable quality water to regional centres and other mining projects. This water can be redistributed for use where water supplies are low for the benefit of the region and its communities. Altona and the Arckaringa Joint Venture are conducting extensive research into regional hydrogeology to underpin a sustainable and manageable GMP that will merit the issue of a Water Allocation License.
The Plan will Address:
- Control of dewatering volumes
- Aquifer re-injection
- Potential water distribution to local users
- Final mine void management with measures in place to mitigate loss of water to evaporation
The Plan will be Designed to Protect:
- GAB spring flows and associated flora and fauna species
- Aboriginal heritage values
- Pastoral and other regional water supplies
Mound springs
- The closest mound spring is more than 50km from our operating area.
- Our understanding is that there would be marginal impact on this spring but we will verify that information as part of our detailed hydrogeological and Groundwater Modelling studies.
- We note that not all mound springs are equally environmentally sensitive
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Environmental flows
Environmental work, including studies of environmental flows, will form part of the BFS. Environmental flows can only be impacted if it can be shown that changes do not materially degrade the regional environment.
The Project will only be granted a license to proceed if it complies with environmental regulations and legislation, including water.
If the AUEJV decides to proceed with the construction of the project, a Mining and Rehabilitation Program (MARP) will be required, which will detail how land affected will be remediated.
Potential impact on stock and stations
We will work with landholders and all appropriate stakeholders to manage impacts and reach mutually acceptable solutions to water and all other issues.
Altona commends the work that has been undertaken by station owners in recent years in stemming the waste of water drawn from the GAB for stock watering and related purposes. It is our intention to maintain and strengthen the sensible and sustainable use of water.
Nothing currently leads us to suspect we will create any problems for station owners and operators.
Use of water for agricultural or industrial use
- This may be an option and will be addressed in the BFS if there is found to be surplus water
- All water generated from the Arckaringa operation will be carefully managed
- Sale of water for a wide range of agricultural and industrial requirements may be an option, subject to regulatory permission from the State Government
Desalination Plant
This project will not require a desalination plant. Altona has selected a gasification process that relies on the moisture inherent within the Arckaringa coals. There is no need to add extra water to the process. It is common practice around mine sites to spray water for dust suppression purposes, and the minimal volumes involved will be managed as part of the overall mine dewatering and Groundwater Management Process.
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