River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline

293 Pages·2017·4.6 MB·English

by  Anastasia Assargiotis

ouble

River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline
Review of Environmental Factors
Final

Report Number DC16095
October 2017

Prepared for WaterNSW
River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project
Review of Environmental Factors
Document Control
Approved for Issue
Version Authors Reviewer
Name Date
Lara Hess
Lara Hess
Final Kristen Parmeter Carl Broockmann 24.10.2017
Natassa Assargiotis
Natassa Assargiotis

© Crown in right of NSW through the Department of Finance, Services and Innovation 2017
This publication is copyright and may incorporate moral rights of an individual. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the
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relating to consents and use of this publication, including by NSW Government agencies must be addressed to Infrastructure Services,
Public Works Advisory.
Public Works Advisory Report Number DC16095 Final ii
River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project
Review of Environmental Factors
Foreword
This review of environmental factors (REF) has been prepared to assess the environmental
impacts associated with the construction and operation of the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline
project (the project). It is acknowledged that the project will be procured on a Design Build
Operate Maintain basis and that the successful tenderer will site and design all infrastructure
associated with the development. This REF is based on the scope of works and design and
construction assumptions as described in Section 5.0 of this report and the infrastructure
footprints shown in Table 6-1 and Appendix C.
Should the contractor propose a design and/ or construction methodology that differs from that
described in this REF, further assessment to determine the significance of any potential impacts
in accordance with Part 5 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 will be
required.
The assessment of impacts associated with the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline project
presented in this REF is based on the information provided at the time of drafting including
specialist investigations and assessments. The analysis and assessment of Aboriginal cultural
heritage impacts is being undertaken in four stages in line with the approach to obtaining
Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permits (AHIP) in stages. The draft report for Stage 1 (Stephens
Creek to Pine Creek) has been prepared and the draft reports for the remaining stages are
currently being prepared. No works would be undertaken that would impact on Aboriginal objects
unless an AHIP has been obtained for that section.

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River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project
Review of Environmental Factors
Author’s declaration
This Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been prepared by Public Works Advisory, NSW
Water Solutions on behalf of WaterNSW. The report presents the assessment of potential
environmental impacts associated with the proposal to construct and operate the River Murray to
Broken Hill Pipeline project.
WaterNSW is a State Owned Corporation and is the determining authority as defined in the
Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). The proposal satisfies the
definition of an activity under the Act, and as such WaterNSW must assess and consider the
environmental impacts of the proposal before determining whether to proceed.
This REF has been prepared in accordance with Sections 111 and 112 of the EP&A Act and
Clause 228 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Reg).
This REF provides a true and fair assessment of the proposed activity in relation to its likely
effects on the environment. It addresses to the fullest extent possible all matters affecting or likely
to affect the environment as a result of the proposed activity.
The main impacts of the proposed, as identified in this REF, are matters relating to construction
activities and include impacts to Aboriginal cultural heritage, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, soils,
noise and vibration, air quality, and traffic and transport. The main operational issues relate to the
impact of extracting water from the River Murray and noise from the pumping stations.
On the basis of the information presented in this REF it is concluded that by adopting the
measures to avoid, minimise or manage environmental impacts:
1. the proposed activity is not likely to have a significant impact on the environment and
therefore an Environmental Impact Statement is not required.
2. the proposed activity is not likely to significantly affect threatened species, populations,
ecological communities, or critical habitat. Therefore a Species Impact Statement (SIS) is
not required.
3. the proposed activity is not likely to affect any Commonwealth land, is not being carried
out on Commonwealth land, or result in a significantly impact to any Matters of National
Environmental Significance.
This REF has been prepared by the undersigned.
Author and Qualifications Lara Hess BSC, MEnvL
Designation Senior Environmental Scientist
Organisation Public Works Advisory, Water Solutions
Signature

Anastasia Assargiotis (on behalf of Lara Hess)
Date 24.10.2017
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River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project
Review of Environmental Factors
Executive Summary
This Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been prepared by the Public Works Advisory on
behalf of WaterNSW. The report assesses the potential environmental impacts associated with
the construction and operation of the proposed River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project.
Introduction
Broken Hill, Menindee, Silverton and Sunset Strip are located in the Far West Region of New
South Wales (NSW). Essential Water supplies water to people in Broken Hill, as well as to the
communities of Menindee, Sunset Strip and Silverton. Town water supply is almost entirely
dependent on water sourced from the Darling River/Menindee Lakes system which is about 100
kilometres south east of Broken Hill. Raw/untreated water is extracted from Weir 32 on the
Darling River and pumped to Broken Hill via the existing aboveground pipeline and the Stephens
Creek Reservoir. It is treated at the Broken Hill Mica Street water treatment plant (WTP) before it
is delivered to customers.
Local climatic conditions, combined with upstream water demands, limited available storage
capacity at Broken Hill and very high surface water evaporation rates have contributed to ongoing
water shortages in the area. The current raw water supply does not meet the NSW Guidelines on
Assuring Future Urban Water Security.
Given the limitations of the existing water supply system both in terms of availability and quality,
the NSW government has committed to providing a secure long-term water supply solution. This
involves constructing a pipeline and associated infrastructure to pump water from the River
Murray at Wentworth to Broken Hill. The water would be pumped to and treated at the Mica Street
WTP before it is delivered to customers using Essential Water’s existing water distribution
system.
WaterNSW is delivering the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline project (the project) on behalf of
the NSW Government.
Description of the project
The project is described in section 5. It will provide a secure water supply to Broken Hill by
constructing and operating:
 A pipeline to transfer water from the River Murray to Broken Hill
 An inlet pumping station pumping station on the River Murray, a dosing plant, up to
three transfer pumping stations (TPS) and a bulk water storage adjacent to the
pipeline
 ancillary components that include but are not limited to balance tanks, scour
valves, air valves, power supply, telemetry, and associated electrical, mechanical
and civil works.
Objective
The objective of the project is to provide a secure, reliable and long-term source of water to
Broken Hill and the surrounding communities that complies with the NSW Guidelines on Assuring
Future Urban Water Security.
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Review of Environmental Factors
Environmental planning and approvals
The project is permissible without development consent under Part 4 of the NSW Environmental
Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) due to the application of Clause 125(1) of State
Infrastructure Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007. The project is an activity that requires
assessment under Part 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act)
and WaterNSW is the proponent and a determining authority as defined under section 110(1) of
the EP&A Act.
The following approvals, licence or permits are also required for the project:
 Department of Primary Industries – Water for relevant approvals and licences
under the Water Management Act 2000
 Department of Industry – Lands and Forestry for licences under the Crown Lands
Act 1989.
 Roads and Maritime Services, Department of Industry – Lands and Forestry,
Broken Hill City Council, Wentworth Shire Council – for works within classified
roads that require approval under the Roads Act 1993.
 Office of Environment and Heritage – for activities that impact on Aboriginal cultural
heritage and require a permit under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
 Murray Darling Basin Authority – notification under the Water Act 2007.
 Australian Rail Track Corporation – A Construction Licence for works within the rail
corridor and an Asset Licence for the pipeline within the rail corridor.
Summary of environmental impacts
Section 111 of the EP&A Act requires that the determining authority take into account the fullest
extent possible all matters likely to impact on the environment due to the proposal. This REF has
been prepared to meet the requirements of Section 111 and 112 of the Act. It details measures to
minimise impacts and identifies whether the project is likely to have a significant environmental
impact.
The main adverse impacts identified during construction would be associated with:
 Aboriginal cultural heritage. Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permits would be obtained
because the project would impact on Aboriginal cultural heritage.
 soil and water due to erosion and sedimentation
 vegetation removal, primarily within road reserves and in areas that have been
disturbed by previous land uses. A small area of Purple-wood Wattle which is a
threatened species listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995
(TSC Act) would be impacted during construction. The project would also impact
on the Acacia loderi shrubland and Sandhill pine woodland Endangered Ecological
Communities (EEC) as listed under the TSC Act 1995 and the Lowland Darling
River EEC and Lower Murray River EECs listed under the Fisheries Management
Act 1994. Assessments of Significance were undertaken and conclude that the
project is unlikely to have a significant impact on threatened biota.
 air quality due to dust from exposed surfaces
 noise due to the operation of machinery and equipment
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Review of Environmental Factors
 impacts on traffic and access to the movement of construction vehicles.
These impacts would be limited to the construction phase and would be minimised by
implementing mitigation measures.
Impacts associated with pipeline construction would affect individual locations for a short period of
time as the construction works move along the pipeline alignment.
Operational impacts identified are limited to:
 extraction of water from the Murray River and the potential for aquatic organisms to
be entrained or impinged at the intake
 discharge of water from the system during maintenance
 noise from the pumping stations
 visual impact of above ground assets.
Operational impacts would be minor and further minimised by implanting mitigation measures.
Environmental management
The Contractor will prepare a construction environmental management plan (CEMP) before
construction commences.
An Operational Management Plan (OMP) is to be prepared to include measures to manage,
operate and maintain the pipeline, pumping stations and associated system post construction.
The CEMP and OMP are to include the mitigation measures and requirements outlined in this
REF, as well as any additional conditions of licences, permits or approvals that are required.
Stakeholder and community consultation
WaterNSW prepared a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Plan which set the framework
for engaging with relevant government agencies, the community and key stakeholders during
preparation of the REF. Issues raised during the consultation process have been addressed in
the REF. Stakeholder consultation will continue during the detailed design and construction
phases.
Next steps
The project is required to provide a secure, reliable and long term source of water to Broken Hill
and the surrounding communities that complies with the NSW Guidelines on Assuring Future
Urban Water Security. As such, the proposal is considered to be in the public benefit.
Overall, potential impacts associated with the proposal are unlikely to be significant, of short
duration and can be adequately managed by implementing the mitigation measures outlined in
this REF.

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Review of Environmental Factors
Table of Contents
Foreword ........................................................................................................................................... iii
Author’s declaration .......................................................................................................................... iv
Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... v
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ viii
Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... xii
1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background .................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Description of the Project ............................................................................................. 2
1.3 Project Objectives ........................................................................................................ 4
1.4 Land Ownership ........................................................................................................... 4
1.5 Purpose of this report ................................................................................................... 7
2 Statutory Considerations .......................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Permissibility under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act ............... 8
2.2 NSW Legislation ........................................................................................................ 16
2.3 Commonwealth Legislation ........................................................................................ 21
2.4 Summary of Approvals ............................................................................................... 23
2.5 Policies, Guidelines and Management Plans ............................................................. 25
2.6 Stakeholder Consultation ........................................................................................... 29
3 Need for the Project ............................................................................................................... 52
3.1 Existing Water Supply ................................................................................................ 52
3.2 Water Supply Reliability and Security......................................................................... 54
3.3 Impacts of a lack of water security ............................................................................. 58
3.4 Project Need and Justification .................................................................................... 59
3.5 Ecologically Sustainable Development Principles ...................................................... 61
4 Option Evaluation ................................................................................................................... 63
4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 63
4.2 Options Identification and Evaluation ......................................................................... 63
4.3 Preferred Option ........................................................................................................ 66
4.4 Water Access Licence – Option Evaluation ................................................................ 73
5 Scope of Works ...................................................................................................................... 81
5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 81
5.2 Overview of the Project .............................................................................................. 81
5.3 Capital Investment ..................................................................................................... 88
5.4 Land Access Strategy ................................................................................................ 88
5.5 Construction Methodology ......................................................................................... 90
5.6 Construction Equipment ........................................................................................... 100
5.7 Construction Program .............................................................................................. 101
5.8 Construction and Operation Management ................................................................ 101
5.9 Operation ................................................................................................................. 103
5.10 Changes to the Project ............................................................................................ 104
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Review of Environmental Factors
6 Environmental Assessment .................................................................................................. 106
6.1 Assessment Methodology ........................................................................................ 106
6.2 Impact Footprint Summary ....................................................................................... 107
6.3 Location and Land Use ............................................................................................ 108
6.4 Traffic and Access ................................................................................................... 119
6.5 Noise and Vibration .................................................................................................. 129
6.6 Air Quality and Emissions ........................................................................................ 143
6.7 Topography, Soils and Geology ............................................................................... 145
6.8 Surface and Groundwater ........................................................................................ 150
6.9 Terrestrial Flora and Fauna ...................................................................................... 167
6.10 Aquatic Flora and Fauna .......................................................................................... 187
6.11 Aboriginal Archaeology ............................................................................................ 195
6.12 Historic Heritage ...................................................................................................... 207
6.13 Waste ...................................................................................................................... 217
6.14 Contamination and Hazards ..................................................................................... 219
6.15 Socio-Economic ....................................................................................................... 222
6.16 Visual Impacts ......................................................................................................... 227
6.17 Cumulative Impacts ................................................................................................. 229
7 Environmental Management ................................................................................................. 230
7.1 Construction Environmental Management Plan ....................................................... 230
7.2 Environmental Management Measures .................................................................... 231
8 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 258
8.1 Proposed Works ...................................................................................................... 258
8.2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 260
9 References ........................................................................................................................... 262
10 Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 264
Appendix A - Clause 228 of the EP&A Regulation 2000 and EPBC Matters
Appendix B - Stakeholder Consultation
Appendix C - Concept Design Plans and Figures
Appendix D - Flora and Fauna Assessment
Appendix E - Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Access
Appendix F - Traffic and Transport Assessment
Appendix G - Noise Impact Assessment
Appendix H - Historical Heritage Assessment
Appendix I - Social Impact Assessment
Appendix J – Wind Rose Data
Appendix K – Land Tenure Details
Appendix L – Geology Maps
Appendix M – Archaeological Sensitivity Maps

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Review of Environmental Factors
Figures
Figure 1-1 Locality Plan ................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 1-2 Overview of the River Murray to Broken Hill Pipeline Project infrastructure .................. 6
Figure 2-1 Murray and Lower Darling WSP area ......................................................................... 26
Figure 4-1 Pipeline Route Options .............................................................................................. 70
Figure 5-1 Location of the pipeline alignment and dosing plant at Wentworth ............................. 84
Figure 5-2 Mica Street WTP ........................................................................................................ 87
Figure 5-3 Example of sheet pile cofferdam ................................................................................ 93
Figure 5-4 Typical Trench dimension .......................................................................................... 95
Figure 6-1 Wentworth Pumping Station ..................................................................................... 109
Figure 6-2 River Murray Intake construction footprint ................................................................ 110
Figure 6-3 Site Photos .............................................................................................................. 112
Figure 6-4 Sensitive land uses in the vicinity of the River Murray Intake ................................... 113
Figure 6-5 Broken Hill sensitive land uses ................................................................................. 115
Figure 6-6 Topography and waterways in the project area ........................................................ 152
Figure 6-7 Wentworth LEP Flood Map ...................................................................................... 159
Figure 6-8 Purple Wood Wattle location .................................................................................... 169
Figure 6-9 Purple Wood Wattle distribution ............................................................................... 170
Figure 6-10 Acacia loderi EEC in the vicinity of the bulk water storage ..................................... 172
Figure 6-11 Acacia loderi EEC (shown in orange) in the vicinity of the TPS2 (Option 3) ........... 173
Figure 6-12 Location of River Murray Intake Pump Station and pipeline (shown in blue) within the
Heritage Curtilage of Wentworth Water Tower (shown in red) ............................................ 208
Figure 6-13 Location of the new balance tank within the Heritage Curtilage of Mica Street
Filtration Plant and Reservoir ............................................................................................. 210

Tables
Table 1-1 Infrastructure and Land Ownership ............................................................................... 4
Table 2-1 Land zonings and objectives under the Wentworth LEP 2011 ....................................... 9
Table 2-2 Land zonings and objectives under the Broken Hill LEP 2013 ..................................... 11
Table 2-3 Summary of approvals, notification and consultation requirements ............................. 23
Table 2-4 Summary of Agency Consultation ............................................................................... 33
Table 3-1 Essential Water - Water Demands .............................................................................. 54
Table 3-2 Water Demand Breakdown by Customer .................................................................... 54
Table 3-3 Frequency and duration of water restrictions under the Base Case ............................. 56
Table 4-1 Summary of options evaluation ................................................................................... 68
Table 4-2 Evaluation of waterway crossing options ..................................................................... 71
Table 4-3 Option 1 - Fully relinquish water extraction under licence WAL 8584 .......................... 76
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