2014-03-25 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda Pages 15-38

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                   25 MARCH 2014


7.    Future Monitoring of the Quarry Operations

In December 2013, officers met with the Department of Environment & Heritage Protection to
discuss the quarry operations, in particularly the ongoing roles and responsibilities of the
Department and Council in respect to monitoring and enforcing the current approval
requirements for the quarry.

At the meeting, the Department of Environment & Heritage Protection officers agreed that given
they were the administering authority of the Environmental Protection Act and the
Environmentally Relevant Activity quarry permit, the Department were the responsible governing
body in respect to potential environmental impacts and would respond accordingly. Under the
legislation, the Department is empowered to make a number of environmental management
decisions to address the quarry’s operations through the imposition of Transitional Environmental
Programs and Environmental Protection Orders and the like. Council would enforce all other
aspects of the Council approved Management Plan for the quarry and assist the Department
where appropriate.

Officers also investigated the stormwater management measures for the quarry, with an
experienced Council Hydrologist from Sunshine Coast Council. At the inspection a number of
issues were raised with the operators, including the potential for dispersive soils to be present on
site and the suitability of the clear water diversion drains, which are designed to divert stormwater
from the top of the hill away from the quarry face. It was agreed to undertake further joint
inspections of the quarry during heavy rains to determine if the measures on site are performing
satisfactorily. This inspection has not been undertaken to date, given Kin Kin has not received
heavy rains.

It should be noted that through the assessment of the amended Management Plan for the quarry,
it became evident that the large sediment basin on site was likely to overtop at times and that it
was not practical given the site’s topography and the catchment size to construct a sediment
basin with the capacity to capture all stormwater events. The average frequency of discharge of
untreated water is likely to be less than once per year.

One aspect of the current conditions of approval for Council to continue to monitor will be the
impacts on Sheppersons Lane from trucks travelling to and from the quarry site, given the
approval requires the operators to perform regular maintenance of roadworks within
Sheppersons Lane, including the removal of any material which may fall from vehicles
transporting quarry materials. Sheppersons Lane is the subject of another report to Council
included on the Infrastructure and Services Committee Agenda for 25 March 2014.




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