Can Upper Spencer Gulf's marine environment survive the South Australian mining boom?

Cuttlefish Country

Presentation Brief:

An overview of the existing and future pressures facing the Giant Australian Cuttlefish and wider ecology of Upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia.

Dan Monceaux, Director – Danimations Pty. Ltd. May 2012

Can Upper Spencer Gulf's marine ecology survive the South Australian mining boom?

The Trouble with Cuttlefish


2011 Very low population count Unusually high rainfall year Unusually late drop in water temp Groundwater contamination Eggs not sticking to reef New resident predators Kingfish farms relocated Snapper stocks down … new industrial developments?

Sepia apama lifespan 1-2 yearsEggs vulnerable to salinity increaseVulnerable to noise pollutionTargetted commercial fishing

Future Developments


Desalination Plants

BHP Billiton Desalination Plant (280 megalitres/day) – approvedBraemar Alliance Desalination Plant (137 megalitres/day) – planningPort Spencer Desalination Plant (137 megalitres/day) – planning

Port Construction / Expansion

BHP Billiton Landing Facility, Port Augusta – approvedOneSteel Harbor expansion, Whyalla – approvedLucky Bay harbor expansion – approvedPort Bonython expansion – proposedPort Spencer Construction – proposedPort Pirie expansion – planningBacky Point Wharf – concept only

Other Developments

Mitsubishi Diesel Storage & Refinery (Port Bonython Fuels), Point Lowly – approvedTechnical Ammonium Nitrate Plant, Point Lowly – planningISR uranium mines on Spencer Gulf coast, south of Whyalla – proposedArafura Rare Earths (& Uranium) Processing Plant, Whyalla – planning

Braemar Iron Ore

Eyre PeninsulaIron Ore

Far North Iron Ore

We don'tknow whatwe stand tolose!


EPNRM report 2011 notes lack of data for Lowly Peninsula flora and fauna, severely lacking data for other coastal cells, including future port sites at Lucky Bay and Lipson CoveNo cetaceans/Great White Sharks listed at Port Spencer site, despite anecdotal evidence

Port Spencer bypassed EPBC Act referral, worth challenging?Cuttlefish genetics and morphology studies require more research and funding (3 years). Likely to be distinct species/subspecies therefore candidate for future EPBC Act listingDolphins of Upper Spencer Gulf may also be distinct species/subspecies (ie. Tursiops australis)

Middle Eastern desalination plants in gulf systems increased ambient salinity (40ppt → 50ppt)Salinity sensitivity of other species' early life stages unknown

Cumulative impact of multiple desal brine/chemical inputs, increased shipping, industrial inputs?

but n

Upper Spencer Gulf

Point Lowly

Port Bonython Iron Ore


Development

Who is responsible? Spencer Gulf Port Link Consortium Flinders Port Holdings, Leighton Contractors, Macquarie Capital, BIS Industrial Logistics, ARTCConcept circulating since 2007 (possibly earlier)Major Project Status granted by SA Government, early 2012EPBC Act referred, first disclosure of plans in detailDAC assessed, will go to DR, PER or EIS pending DAC decisionTo be subsidised by Government. Liberals have also committed to thisCustomers? Cairn Hill (IMX), Wilcherry Hill (Ironclad)? Not Braemar Alliance...

IssuesJetty goes straight through prime breeding habitat at Stony Point (world famous tourism site)Local residents don't want the peninsula industrialised (Save Point Lowly group, APWP)Large volume port, estimates over 50 million tonnes iron ore per annum (252 Cape vessels)Highly constrained 'deep water' marine cul-de-sacAdjacent SANTOS jetty and associated shipping multiplies riskIssues with lack of draft, shipping increasing turbidityPossible requirement for future dredging

but n

Port Bonython Fuels


Development

100% Mitsubishi owned (previously Stuart Petroleum, then Senex)Diesel storage & refinery complex to service mining companiesLikely to import diesel via existing SANTOS Port Bonython jettyDevelopment approved in 2010, no public disclosure of plans, nothing on SA Gov websitesApproved as Crown-Sponsored development under Section 49 of the Development ActDAC assessed, negligible public disclosure (some brochures produced)

Issues

Flammable liquids storage poses public safety risk to residents living on the peninsulaIn case of fire, residents will be trapped at Point Lowly (only one access road, dead end)To be constructed upon virgin scrublandLocal residents don't want the peninsula industrialised (Save Point Lowly group, APWP)

but n

Port Germein Desalination


Development

Desalination plant to facilitate the transport of iron ore via slurry pipeline to Port Pirie from the Braemar iron ore province (between Peterborough and Broken Hill). Companies include Carpentaria Exploration, Havilah Resources, U3O8, Minotaur Exploration, othersEstimated size 137 Megalitres per dayBraemar Alliance miners likely to stockpile at and export from Port Pirie initially <30 million tonnes per annum via transhipping

Issues

Immediately opposite (14kms due east) of BHP Billiton approved desal outflow (280 ML per day). Cumulative impact is of serious concern.Ward Spit creates immediate oceanographic problems for placement of effective brine outflowFlushing of Upper Spencer Gulf is slow, increasing risk for local increase in salinity (Kaempf)Project detail only disclosed in desalination industry press, July 2011

Lucky Bay

Lucky Bay Harbor Iron Ore


Development

SEA transport is proponent (operator of Wallaroo passenger ferry)Crown-sponsored development under Section 49 of Development ActMore information at dedicated website, single community consultation session, Cowell, Nov 2011To expand harbor to accomodate barge, tugboat, container loading & storage facilitiesWill road freight iron ore in containers to harbor (b-triples) from Wilcherry HillContainers barged to Panamax vessels at anchorage

Issues

Transhipping anchorage is immediately outside proposed Marine Park Sanctuary ZoneExport vessels will anchor / no permanent mooring means more bottom disturbanceLucky Bay ferry is often cancelled due to inclement weather, suggesting transhipping riskHave enquired about environmental impact studies (none disclosed), awaiting replyEPNRM report referred to Lucky Bay coastal cell as 'severely lacking' in data on ecology

Port Spencer

Port Spencer Iron Ore & Desal


Development

Centrex Metals is proponent (iron ore miner, Chinese-Australian joint venture)Additional customers include Eyre Iron and grain farmersPER published early 2012, currently awaiting Centrex response to public commentsNew multi-user facility, single jetty, conveyors and stockpiling for iron ore and grainWill road freight iron ore from mines on Eyre Peninsula (Stage 1)Plans to develop magnetite processing plant (stage 2) will require a desalination plant (137 ML per day capacity) to transport iron ore to port as slurry.

Issues

Local Lipson Cove/Tumby Bay residents don't want industrial development between two favourite beaches - Tumby Bay Residents & Rate Payers Assoc.Less than 1km from Lipson Island Conservation Park - inshore island & marine bird rookeryNot referred to EPBC Act... dodging a bullet? Hooded plovers, fairy penguins, other listed speciesOmissions of cetaceans, Great White Sharks from environmental analysis (two day study only)EPNRM report 2011 did not publish cell data on this location, presumably due to lack of data.Important breeding colony of Fairy Penguins, last identified as a 'stable' population in 2006.Fairy penguins reported by Centrex to be in decline..?

Cumulative impacts

● The cumulative impacts of these developments & increased shipping must be considered.

● Predicted iron ore shipping traffic in Upper Spencer Gulf alone to exceed 450 Cape Vessels per annum

● We recommend a Commonwealth Strategic Assessment of the region, as per Port Hedland (WA) and the coal/LNG export developments of Queensland (Great Barrier Reef).

Thankyou.


Find out more at

http://cuttlefishcountry.com

Dan MonceauxDirector, Cuttlefish Country

ph. 0411 039 [email protected]

http://cuttlefishcountry.com/

Can Upper Spencer Gulf's marine environment survive the South Australian mining boom?

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