Potential impacts, predicted outcome and mitigation · 2017. 7. 24. · development area forms part of the Ivanhoe land system, of which there is 123,900ha mapped extent (Schocknect

CarltonPlainStage1–EPAReferral 50

Plate8-HouseRoofHill:viewtohillacrossproposedinfrastructurearea

5.4 Potentialimpacts,predictedoutcomeandmitigationThe proposed Carlton Plain Stage 1 development is not expected to impact substantially on thelandformthatisHouseRoofHill,orthenearby‘ShedRoofHill’.

Drainage from House Roof Hill will be managed via hillside drains. Minimal clearing of foothillvegetationwillberequired,giventhecurrentstate,asshowninPlate8.

Other values, such as terrestrial fauna, are discussed later in this document. Aboriginal heritageassessment and clearance has been provided by Traditional Owners with the support of MGCorporation(June2017).

NolandformimpactsonHouseRoofHillareanticipated.ThephysicalandecologicalintegrityofHouseRoofHillwillremainintact.


6.0 Key Environmental Factor 3 – Terrestrial EnvironmentalQuality

6.1 EPAobjectiveTomaintainthequalityoflandandsoilssothatenvironmentalvaluesareprotected.

6.2 PolicyandguidanceEPAconsiderationsinrelationtotheenvironmentalfactor‘TerrestrialEnvironmentalQuality’include

• Application of the mitigation hierarchy to avoid or minimise impacts to terrestrialenvironmentalquality,wherepossible;

• Theenvironmentalvaluessupportedbysoilqualitywhicharepotentiallyimpacted,andtheirsignificance;

• The contaminants of concern and potential pathways throughwhich soil qualitymay beimpacted,andtheassociatedriskstovaluessupportedbygoodsoilquality;

• Thesignificanceofthepotentialimpactsinthecontextofthelocation,regionalcumulativeimpacts,andotherrelevantissues;

• That all risk modelling, analyses, mapping, testing and proposed management areundertaken toa standardconsistentwith recognisedpublishedguidanceandappropriateaccreditation;

• The current state of knowledge and the level of confidence in predicting the residualenvironmentalimpacts;

• Therisktoenvironmentalvaluesshouldthepredictionsbeincorrect;and• Whetherproposedmitigationistechnicallyandpracticallyfeasible.

(EPA2016d)

6.3 ReceivingenvironmentSoilsmappingofCarltonPlainhasbeenundertakenbyStoneman(2001)andothersduringmultiplesoils, groundwater risk and general agricultural assessments over recent decades. The proposeddevelopmentareaformspartoftheIvanhoelandsystem,ofwhichthereis123,900hamappedextent(SchocknectandPayne2010,cited inWoodman2016a). Thissystemcomprises ‘small tomediumareas of gently sloping alluvial black soil plains with some timbered ‘red’ soil in the central andnorthernpartsoftheOrd-Victoriasurveyarea’.

Figure 16 illustrates the broad soil groupings across Carlton Plain, with alluvial loams and claysdominantAsdescribedinSection4.3,theStage1soilsexhibitsandandloamproperties(asopposedtotheheavier‘blacksoilclays’foundelsewhereintheIvanhoesystem).SoilsurveysofCarltonPlainundertaken by Stoneman (2001) identified two geomorphic units including the clay plains whichbelong to the Cununurra family of cracking clays, and the levee areas which are generally morevariableandofmediumtexture.Atotalof5soilunitswithinthebroaderCarltonPlainarea(thatis,Stage1plusotherproposeddevelopmentareas)weremappedbyStoneman,includingMantineaclay(6,465ha),GroupASoilsconsistingofvariable light texturedbrownsoils (3,760ha),WinbidjiFineSandyLoam(1,040ha),GroupBSoilswhichhaveagradualincreaseintexturedowntheprofile(180ha), and Soil Complex which is mixture of Mantinea clay andWinbidji fine sandy loam (310 ha)(Stoneman2001).


Figure16-Soilgroupings

AsimplifiedversionoftheStoneman(2001)soilmap(seeAppendixB)showingthemaintexture-basedmanagementgroupingsatCarltonPlain:AL=alluvialloams(includesloamsoverlyingdeeplyburiedclay,anddeeploams),AC=alluvial

clays.[Source:McKenzie2017]

Uponreviewofavailablesoilsdata,McKenzie(2017)determinedthat:

The~4,000haof deep loam soil upstreamof about themid-point ofHouseRoofHill has

excellentpotentialforabroadrangeofirrigatedcrops.Ithasalowsalinityhazard.(McKenzie2017,page2).

Thelandforms,floodareasandnaturaldrainageontheCarltonPlainandMantineasiteshavedirectlyinformedtheconceptplanscontainedinFigure4andFigure5respectively.

6.4 Potentialimpacts,predictedoutcomeandmitigationTheOrdStageIIirrigatedfarmareahasenvironmentalconditionsrelatedtosoils,drainageandsalinitywhichhavebeendevelopedinlinewithEnvironmentalManagementPlans(EMPs)approvedbyStateandCommonwealthregulatorsundertheEPAct1986andEPBCAct1999respectively. TheEMPshavebeendevelopedtomeettherequirementsofconditionssetbyregulators,withthe intentofmanagingrisksidentifiedforsoilsandotherfactorsimpactedbyirrigatedagricultureintheregion.KAIproposesduplicatingmanagementpracticesappliedtosimilarsoilsand landforms, in linewithplansapprovedforitsotherlanddevelopments.Thiswillbedoneonthebasisthatregulatorshaveidentified that themanagement actions applied elsewhere are considered adequate tominimiseenvironmental risk through the development and operational phases of irrigated agriculture.Preliminary EMP actions derived directly from the Knox Creek Plain EMP approved by the EPA iscontainedinAppendixA–DRAFTEnvironmentalManagementActions.


ByapplyingmanagementpracticesthathaverecentlybeenendorsedbytheEPAassuitableforsoundenvironmentalprotection,KAIisconfidentitcanminimiseimpactstoterrestrialenvironmentalqualitywithintheCarltonPlainStage1area.ItisinKAI’sbestanddirectinterest,asthelanduserwiththemost immediate and direct impact of the terrestrial quality, to ensure that monitoring andmanagementrequirementsareimplementedtothehigheststandard.


7.0 KeyEnvironmentalFactor4–TerrestrialFauna

7.1 EPAobjectiveToprotectterrestrialfaunasothatbiologicaldiversityandecologicalintegrityaremaintained.

7.2 PolicyandguidanceEPAconsiderationsinrelationtotheenvironmentalfactorTerrestrialFaunainclude:

• Application of themitigation hierarchy to avoid orminimise impacts to terrestrial fauna,wherepossible;

• Theterrestrialfaunaaffectedbytheproposal;• Thepotential impactsandtheactivitiesthatwillcausethem, includingdirectandindirect

impacts;• Theimplicationsofcumulativeimpacts;• Whether surveys or analyses have been undertaken to a standard consistent with EPA

technicalguidance;• Thescaleatwhichimpactstoterrestrialfaunaareconsidered;• Thesignificanceoftheterrestrialfaunaandtherisktothosefauna;• The current state of knowledge of the affected species/assemblages and the level of

confidenceunderpinningthepredictedresidualimpacts;and• Whetherproposedmanagementapproachesaretechnicallyandpracticallyfeasible.

7.3 ReceivingenvironmentFaunahabitatsacrossCarltonPlainStage1havebeenmappedbyWoodmanEnvironmentalConsulting,followingtheir2016dryseasonsurveyandafterreviewofexistingpublishedandonlinedocumentation.


Figure17illustratestheidentifiedfaunahabitats,withTable14summarisingareasofeachhabitattype.

Table14-Faunahabitatdistribution:CarltonPlainStage1DevelopmentEnvelope

FaunaHabitat Area(ha) %ofCarltonPlainStage1

ClearedLand 1.6 0.1%Creeklines 27.6 0.9%Floodplains 637.9 20.7%Grasslands 1,230.2 39.9%Sandstonehills 15.6 0.5%Savannahwoodlands 1,044.1 33.8%Seasonalwetlands 19 0.6%Stonyplains 98.8 3.2%Outsideofmappedarea 11.2 0.4%

TOTAL 3,086 100.0%


Figure17-FaunaHabitatsofCarltonPlain

ThedatabasesaslistedbelowinTable15weresearchedbyWoodman(2016a)forfaunarecordsinandaroundtheCarltonPlain.Inallcasestheextentofthedatabasesearchwaslargerthantheextentofthedevelopmentarea,inordertocapturerecordsofspeciesinthewiderareathatmayalsooccuronthePlain.


Table15-Faunadatabasesearchregister

Database TypeofrecordsheldonDatabase AreaSearched

WA Museum SpecimenDatabase(DPAW2007-)

IncludesrecordsfromspecimensheldintheWAMuseum specimen database, includinghistoricaldata.

30kmbufferaround128°28’25”E,15°32’12”S

Fauna Survey ReturnsDatabase(DPAW2007-)

Records from fauna surveys carried out inWesternAustralia,includingdatafromtrappingandobservations.

30km bufferaround128°28’25”E,15°32’12”S

DPAW’s Threatened andPriorityFaunaDatabase

InformationandrecordsonThreatenedandPriorityspeciesinWesternAustralia.

40kmbufferaround52L443377E,8282053N.

Birds Australia AtlasDatabase

RecordsofbirdobservationsinAustralia,1998-current.

30km bufferaround128°28’25”E,15°32’12”S

EPBC Act Protected MattersSearchTool

RecordsonmattersprotectedundertheEPBCAct,including threatened species and ecologicalcommunities,migratoryspeciesandmarinespecies.

30kmbufferaround128°28’25”E,15°32’12”S

(Source:Woodman2016a)

Followinganalysisofexistingreportsanddatabases,terrestrialfaunapresenceatMantineahasbeensurveyedandassessedbyPilbaraFlora(2010)andWoodmanEnvironmentalConsulting(2016aand2016b).ThefaunaassessmentwasundertakenbyWesternWildlife,ataLevel1standardasdefinedby the Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA) Guidance Statement No. 56 (EPA 2004b), andPositionStatementNo.3(EPA2002).

Thesurveywasconductedaccordingtotheguidelinespresentedinthefollowingdocuments:

• EPAPositionStatementNo.3-TerrestrialBiologicalSurveysasanelementofbiodiversityprotection.(EPA2002).

• Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Guidance Statement 56 for Terrestrial FaunaSurveys(EPA2004b).

• Technical Guide – Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Surveys for Environmental ImpactAssessment(EPAandDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC)2010).

• SurveyGuidelinesforAustralia’sThreatenedBirds(DepartmentoftheEnvironment,Water,HeritageandtheArts(DEWHA)2010).

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) referralguideline for the endangered northern quoll Dasyurus hallucatus (Commonwealth ofAustralia2011).

Thepre-surveyreviewofexistingdocumentationidentified

• 7conservationsignificantreptilespeciespotentiallyoccurringwithinthevicinityofCarltonPlain;

• 39conservationsignificantbirdspeciespotentiallyoccurringwithinthevicinityofCarltonPlain;and

• 6 conservation significantmammal species potentially occurringwithin the vicinity ofCarltonPlain.

(Woodman,2016a).


Fieldstudiesweresubsequentlyconducted,with44locationsacrossCarltonPlainandtheadjacentMantinealandstargetedforfaunaobservations.ThesiteswerechosenbyWesternWildlifepersonnelinordertosamplethevarietyofhabitatspresent,andtotargetareaswhichwereconsideredlikelytosupportadiversityoffaunaduringthedryseason(e.g.dams,seasonalwetlandscontainingwaterordensevegetationalongcreeklines).Ateachlocationallbirdsseenorheardwererecorded,andhand-searchingforreptileswascarriedout.Hand-searchinginvolvedrakingthroughleaflitterorloosesoil,turningoverrocksorlogs,strippingbarkandusingatorchtoinspecthollowsorrockcrevices.Thepresence of any other species, e.g. diurnal mammals, were also recorded if encountered. Nightsurveysandtheuseofmotionsensorswerealsoimplemented.

Western Wildlife, through Woodman (2016b), identified that, for the entire Carlton Plain andMantineaarea,

Thereare32migratoryspecies(aslistedundertheEPBCActorunderSchedule5oftheWC

Act)whichare likely tooccur in theProposalArea, including1 reptile species [saltwater

crocodile]and31birdspecies.However,theProposalAreaisunlikelytosupportsignificant

populationsforthemajorityofthesespecies.TheseasonalwetlandsintheProposalArea

have the potential to support significant numbers of a migratory shorebird species

(althoughunlikely).

(Woodman2016b,p9).

AmphibiansTheWoodman(2016)studyfoundthatwhile28speciesof froghavethepotential tooccur inthestudyarea,fourwererecorded.Further,Woodman(2016a)surmisedthatnofrogsofconservationsignificancearelikelytobepresentonCarltonPlainorMantinea.

ReptilesWoodman (2016) identified that there are 101 speciesof reptile that have thepotential tooccuracrossCarltonPlainandMantineaofwhich17specieswererecordedinthestudyareaduringthefaunasurveys.Manyspeciesarewidespread,occurringonarangeofsubstrates(sands,claysandrock)ina rangeofvegetationtypes (grasslands,shrublands,woodlandsorwetlandmargins). However,therearesuitesofreptilesthatshowmorespecifichabitatrequirements,andthesearelikelytoberestrictedtopartsoftheStudyArea.

TherearesevenreptilesofconservationsignificancethatmayoccurintheStudyArea,twoofCS1andfiveofCS2.Freshwatercrocodile(Crocodylusjohnstoni)andsaltwatercrocodile(Crocodylusporosus)are listed as Specially Protected Fauna under theWildlife Conservation Act 1950. The saltwatercrocodile is also listed asmigratory under the EPBC Act 1999. Five other reptiles (snakes) wereidentifiedaspotentiallyoccurringintheCarltonPlainarea,ofwhichthree-theBlack-soilSkink,OrdSnakeandCurlSnakeareknowntofavourcrackingclaysandarelikelytoberestrictedtofloodplainsand grasslands with cracking clays. Carlton Plain Stage 1 does not include cracking clays. Theremainingtwo‘potential’reptiles–thewide-bandedandnarrow-bandednorthernbandybandyareknownfromfewrecords.Woodman(2016)identifiedthatitisdifficulttoascertaintheirstatusintheproposeddevelopmentarea.

BirdsThereare234speciesofbirdthathavethepotentialtooccurintheStudyArea,ofwhich103wererecordedduringthefaunasurvey(Woodman2016a). Manyofthesearewaterbirdsandwetland-dependentspeciessuchasducks,herons,ibis,cormorantsandshorebirds.ThesespeciesarelikelytooccuralongtheadjacentOrdRiver,aswellasinseasonalwetlands,damsandinpoolsalongcreeklines(Woodman2016a).Vegetatedwetlandareasarepotentialbreedingsites forwaterbirds, includingthose that breeding trees (e.g. herons and ibis) and those that breed on the ground amongst


vegetation. A full description of bird species potentially present on or around Carlton Plain iscontainedinWoodman(2016).

BirdfaunaoftheLowerOrdarenotuniquetothatlocation.TheyoccupysimilarhabitatalongtheOrdRiverinParryLagoonsandotherConservationReserves,andinthe140,000hectaresoffloodplainandestuarinewetlandsonaroundCarltonHillStation.Furthermore,itisnowevidentthatinthenewOrdStageIIirrigatedfarmareathatbirdnumbersanddiversityhaveincreasedinaroundtheirrigatedversustheun-developmentblacksoilplains.Thereareclearreasonsforthis-foodsourcesincreaseassociatedwithgrassseedsandinsectswherewaterispresent.

AsdescribedbelowinSection0,theimpactoftheproposeddevelopmentuponmigratorybirdspeciesisnotexpectedtobesignificant.

MammalsWesternWildlife,throughWoodman(2016),identified49speciesofmammalthathavethepotentialtooccuraroundtheCarltonPlainandMantineadevelopmentareas.Ofthese,43arenativeandsixintroduced.Eighteenspecies(15nativeandthreeintroduced)wererecordedopportunisticallyduringthe fauna survey.Woodman (2016p66) identified that “themammalassemblage is likely tohavechangedinthe100+yearssincetheareawasestablishedaspastoralproperty”.)

Eight speciesofbatwerepositively identified in theCarltonstudyarea,on thebasisof their callsrecordedduringtheWoodmansurvey.Dependingonthespecies,batsgenerallyroostinhollowsorcrevicesintrees,orincavesandcrevicesinrockyhabitats.TheStudyArealackscaves,buttreehollowsare present in the savannahwoodlands and rock crevices are present on the sandstone hills. Asdescribed in Section5.0, sandstonehillswill not be substantially impacteduponby theproposeddevelopment.

Woodman (2016) identified sixmammals of conservation significance potentially occurring in theCarltonPlainandMantineaarea.TheNorthernQuoll(Dasyurushallucatus)islistedasendangeredunder the EPBC Act 1999, and Schedule 2 (endangered) under theWCAct 1950. TheGhost Bat(Macrodermagigas) is listed as vulnerable under the EPBCAct 1999 and Schedule 3 (Vulnerable)undertheWCAct1950.

TheNorthernQuollisamedium-sizedcarnivorethatwaslistedundertheEPBCActin2005partlyduetoconcernabouttheimpactoftheCaneToadonthespecies.ExceptforHouseRoofHill,CarltonPlainlacks the rocky habitats that are considered to be the core habitat for the Northern Quoll. TheNorthernQuollwasnotrecordedoncameratrapssetonHouseRoofHill.

The Ghost Bat is a large carnivorous bat that occurs across northern Australia. The population isthoughttobelessthan10,000individuals,withtwothirdsofthoseintheKimberleyregion(Woinarskietal.2014,TSSC2016,citedinWoodman2016a).GhostBatswerenotrecordedduringthe2016dryseason survey. Woodman (2016) identified thatnopermanent (maternity) roosts are likely tobepresent.

OtherconservationsignificantmammalspeciespotentiallypresentonCarltonPlaininclude:

• NorthernLeaf-nosedBat(Hipposiderosstenotis)–Priority2DPaWlisting.ThecallsofthisspecieswererecordedonHouseRoofHillduringthe2016dryseasonstudy.TheNorthernLeaf-nosedBatmayroostindeepcrevicesonHouseroofHillandintherangesoutsidetheStudyArea.ItislikelytoforageacrossCarltonPlain.

• Orange Leaf-nosedBat (Rhinonicteris aurantia) – Priority 4DPaW listing. The calls of thisspecieswererecordedonHouseroofHillandthewoodlandsiteontheCarltonstudyarea.


TheOrangeLeaf-nosedBatroostsinrangesoutsidetheCarltonandMantineaplains,andislikelytoforageoverCarltonPlainhabitats.

• WaterRat(Hydromyschrysogaster)–Priority4DPaWlisting.Woodman(2016a)notethatthereareseveralrecordingsofthisspeciesaroundKununurraonDPAW’sThreatenedandPriorityFaunaDatabase,includingarecordfrom2008.ThisspeciesmayoccuralongtheOrdRiver.Woodmanindicatethat itsuseofCarltonPlainmaybesporadic,as individualsmayopportunisticallymoveintoinundatedseasonalwetlands.

• LakelandDownsMouse(Leggadinalakedownensis)–Priorty4DPaWlisting.ThisspecieswasrecordedintheMantineaPlainsstudyareain2009(Strategen2010)andmaybewidespreadacrosstheCarltonandMantineaplains.Thisspeciespotentiallyoccursinmosthabitats,butparticularlygrasslands.

7.4 Potentialimpacts,predictedoutcomeandmitigationWoodman (2016), in their assessment of fauna habitats and associated risk to listed species,determined that thoseareaswith cracking clays, and seasonalwetlands,weredeemed significantamongstCarltonPlain(andMantinea)habitatareas.CarltonPlainStage1doesnotexhibitcrackingclay habitat areas, and, furthermore, the seasonal wetland present to the west of the proposeddevelopment areawill be retained and protected by a tailwater drainage network during the dryseason. Wet season stormwater flow will be retained through carefully engineered stormwaterdrainagedesign.

TheimplementationofmanagementactionswhichhavebeendeemedbytheEPAandDoEEtobesuitable for the nearby Goomig and Knox development areas will ensure a high standard ofenvironmental monitoring and management to avoid or mitigate unacceptable risks. The mainpotentialimpactontheseasonalwetlandrelatestothepotentialin-flowoftailwatershoulddrainagenotbecarefullymanaged.KAIwillensurethattailwaterisrecycledasrequired,andwillnotbestoredinordivertedtothewetlandarea.

Theimpactonmigratorybirdsisnotconsideredtobesignificant,given(a)theadjacent,year-roundflowoftheOrdRiverandassociatedwetlands,and(b)thecreationofadditionalmigratorybirdhabitatthroughthepracticeofirrigation.

Theretentionofover6,000ha(or38%)oftheCarltonPlainfreeholdarea,andapproximately95%oftheadjacentCarltonHilland Ivanhoepastoral leases,evenundera fulldevelopment (CarltonplusMantineaplusTarrara)scenario,willensureadequateadditionalhabitatisretained.


8.0 KeyEnvironmentalFactor5–HydrologicalProcesses

8.1 EPAobjectiveTomaintainthehydrologicalregimesofgroundwaterandsurfacewatersothatenvironmentalvaluesareprotected.

8.2 PolicyandguidanceEnvironmentalimpactassessmentconsiderationsforthefactorHydrologicalProcessesinclude-

• Application of the mitigation hierarchy to avoid and minimise impacts to hydrologicalprocesses,wherepossible;

• Theenvironmentalvalueswhicharepotentiallyimpacted,andtheirsignificance;• The significance of potential impacts in the context of the location, regional cumulative

impacts,climateandotherrelevantissues;• Theallanalysesareundertakentoarecognisedstandard;• The current state of knowledge and the level of confidence in predicting the residual

environmentalimpacts;• Therisktoenvironmentalvalues,shouldthepredictionsbeincorrect;and• Whetherthemitigationistechnicallyandpracticallyfeasible.

(EPA2016f)

8.3 ReceivingenvironmentThis section takes into account both surface and groundwater impactswhichmay arise from thedevelopmentoftheCarltonPlainStage1area.Itconsidersboththeimpactsofin-situoperations,andofabstractionofwaterfromtheOrdsystem,foruseinirrigation.

8.3.1 GroundwaterGroundwaterconditionsundertheCarlton(andMantinea)plainshavebeenthesubjectofsubstantialpublicandprivate interest formanyyears,giventheproximitytothetidal interchangeof theOrdRiver(seeSection8.3.2)andthelowpositionofbothplainsinthelandscape.Developmentstaging,as discussed in Section 3.2.4, is largely informed by groundwater assessment, monitoring andmanagementadvice.DepartmentofWatergroundwatermonitoringrecords,includingwaterqualityand depth to groundwater, have informed the assessment and staging. Bennett (2016), Hulme(SustainableSoilManagement,2017),andothershaveassessedavailabledata,whichguidesKAIinitsdecision-makingandplanning.

Figure18 illustrates theairborneelectromagneticassessmentofdepth togroundwateracross theCarltonandMantineaplains,whileFigure19depictsapreliminarysalinityriskassessmentundertakenbasedonexistingdata(Bennett2016).Theseassessmentsarebeingusedinfurthermodellingandimpactanalyses,toinformgroundwatermodellingandfarmdesignplanning.Similarriskanddesignconsiderationswereapplied successfully inOrdStage II, andwill beused in theCarltonPlainandMantineadevelopmentareastomanagedsalinityrisk.


Figure18-Depthtowatertable:CarltonPlainandMantinea

(Source:CommonwealthofAustralia,2009)

Figure19-Inherentsalinityriskassessment:CarltonPlainandMantinea

(Source:Bennett,2016)

AssummarisedbyBennett(2016)andillustratedabove,westernportionsoftheMantineaandCarltonPlaindevelopmentareascanbeconsideredmoderatetohighrisk,dependentuponclaycontentinsoilsanddepthtothewatertable,aswellasthespecificgroundwatersalinityconcentrations.

HighriskareasovertheCarltonandMantineaplainsarecharacterisedby-

• Clayorgradational(toclay)soil(predominantlyMantineaclayflats)• Uniformlyhighsaltstorefrom2mdepthtobasementrock(basedonAEM–Commonwealth

ofAustralia,2009)


• Shallowwatertable(3000mS/m,>20,000mg/L)• Distancefromriver(orpoorhydraulicconnection).

Moderateriskareasincludecharacteristicsof

• Generallyfinegrainedorclaysoils• Uniformly moderate salt storage, from 2m depth to basement rock (based on AEM –

CommonwealthofAustralia,2009)• Watertableat3-10mdepth• Moderategroundwatersalinity(1000-2000mS/m,6000-12000mg/L).

(Bennett,2016)

Thisassessment is further illustrated inFigure20developedbyHulme(2017)during thesoilsandgroundwaterassessmentundertaken forKAIbySustainableSoilManagement. Thisassessment isbasedonexistinggroundwaterdata,includingdepthandsalinitylevels.KAIhasutilisedthemodellingtoinformcurrentplanningtimeframes.Futuremonitoringwillincludetheinstallationofnewboresandcontinuousdataloggerstoinformtheunderstandingofgroundwaterinthearea,andinparticularinrelationtounderstandingwhat,ifany,groundwaterinterchangeoccurswithtidalinflow.

Figure20-Modelledtimeforwatertablerise:CarltonPlainandMantinea

(Source:Hulme2017,inSustainableSoilManagement2017)

FortheCarltonPlainStage1area,whatcanbeseenfromFigures18,19and20isthatgroundwatersalinityriskisminimalintheCarltonPlainStage1proposedirrigatedagriculturearea.


8.3.2 SurfacewaterCarltonPlainlaysimmediatelynorthofthelowerOrdRiver,upstreamofthetidal interchangeandadjacent to the tidal influence zone (seeFigure21). Irrigationwater for thedevelopmentwill besourcedfromtheOrdunderaproposedlicencethroughtheDepartmentofWater(DoW).AbstractionofwaterfromthelowerOrdRiverforthepurposeofirrigatingCarltonPlain(andMantinea)hasbeenallowedforintheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan(DoW2013).

TidalandfreshwaterinterplayintheLowerOrdThe LowerOrd River is subject to large tidal currents ensuring “goodmixing between freshwaterflowingdownstreamandmarinewatersenteringfromCambridgeGulf”(Gerhke2009,p8).Tidesinthetidalfreshwaterzoneriseandfallupto6metresattheinterfaceofthefreshandtidalwaters.Spring tides exceed 7 metres (Department of Water, 2012). A full description of the tidal andfreshwaterzonescanbefoundinGerhke(2009).


Figure21-Extentof'tidalreach'nearthemouthoftheOrdRiver

(Source:BraimbridgeandMalseed,2007)


InmodellingavarietyofscenariostoinformtheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan,theDepartmentofWater(2012;2013)hasassessedtheimpactofvarying lowerOrdwater levelsontheOrdRiverFloodplainRamsarSite(ORFRS). Thescenariosconsideredwerecomparedtowaterflowregimespre-Ord River Dam regulation includedmaximumwater allocations and high hydroelectric powergenerationrequirements.

The Department found that “changes in dry season flow rates expected under the five scenariosstudiedwill have no significant impact on the range of salinities experienced in theOrd Estuary”(DepartmentofWater2012;p110). This findingwasbasedon theanalysisof thehydrologic andecologicalconnectionsbetweentheORFRSandtheOrdEstuary.TidalmovementsweredeterminedtohaveamuchgreaterimpactonwaterlevelsandecologiesintheORFRSthanlowerOrdflowsunderthemodelledregimes.Subsequenttothisfinding,theDepartmentdeterminedthattheprovisionsoftheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlanwouldhavenomeasurableimpacts“ontheRamsarvaluesoftheOrdEstuaryandassociatedtidalmudflats”(ibid.,p105).

Consequently, the allocation of 115GL to the proposed Carlton Plain and Mantinea irrigationdevelopmentshasbeenassessedtonotsubstantiallyimpactonsurfacewaterwithinthearea.Theextraction of water for farming as proposed is entirely within already established and agreedparameters.

MinimumenvironmentalflowsforthelowerOrdRiverinnormalallocationyearsare42cumecs(m3/sorcubicmetrespersecond),releasedfromtheKununurraDiversionDam.Thisminimumflowhasbeensetbaseduponathoroughgovernmentandscientificcommunityanalysisofthedownstreamflora,faunaandriverdynamicrequirements,includingthenearbyRamsarwetlands.

This flowwill bemaintained evenwith the development of these lands, as per the planning andprovisionofOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan(DoW2013),whichhasbeenpeerreviewedandwasopentopublicconsultation.

FloodplainmanagementCarltonPlainformspartofthelowerOrdRiverfloodplain.Exhibitingagenerallyflattopography(withtheexceptionofsandstoneoutcrops),ongoingstormwaterandfloodmanagementwillberequired.KAIhasdevelopeditsfarmplans,asdepictedinError!Referencesourcenotfound.andthetypicaldesigndrawingscontained inSection2.2followingdetailedtopographicalanalysisofdrainageandfloodmitigationrequirements.Thisincludestheinstallationofhillsidedrainsanddiversionoffloodwaters from infrastructure, while maintaining sufficient stormwater flow for the ecologicalmaintenance of areas such as the wetland to the west of the Carlton Plain Stage 1 area. As isundertakenwiththeOrdStage2landswhichitmanages,KAIwillensurefloodmanagementoccursasanintegralpartofitsoperations.

8.4 Potentialimpacts,predictedoutcomeandmitigationThe potential impacts and predicted outcomes in relation to surface water hydrology are wellunderstoodacrosstheentireCarltonPlainandMantineaareas.DetailedOrdsurfacewaterallocationplanninghasinformedthisunderstanding. MonitoringandmanagementactionsperAppendixA–DRAFTEnvironmentalManagementActionshavebeenestablishedbasedonpracticesapprovedbyCommonwealthandStateregulatorsinthemanagementofimpactsoftheOrdStage2development.KAI intends extending these actions to ensure a streamlined environmentalmanagement systemacrossitsneighbouringproperties.


Groundwatermanagement on the Carlton Plain Stage 1 area is not expected to be problematic.Upgradedmonitoringboreswillbeinstalledinthesecondhalfof2017,withcontinuousdataloggingtoinformknowledge,planninganddecision-makingacrosstheCarltonandMantinealandscapes.

Baselinegroundwaterqualitydatawillcontinuetobesecured,toaddtoexistingknowledgeheldby(andpubliclyavailablethrough)DoW.

Othermanagementactionswillincludebaselineandongoingsoiltestingtomanagesodicityrisk(eg,throughtheapplicationofgypsum)whereirrigationwaterisapplied.


9.0 KeyEnvironmentalFactor6–InlandWatersEnvironmentalQuality

9.1 EPAobjectiveTomaintainthequalityofgroundwaterandsurfacewatersothatenvironmentalvaluesareprotected.(EPA2016g)

9.2 PolicyandguidanceEnvironmentalimpactassessmentconsiderationsinclude

• Application of the mitigation hierarchy to avoid or minimise impacts to inland waterenvironmentalquality,wherepossible;

• Theenvironmentalvalueswhicharepotentiallyimpacted,andtheirsignificance;• Thepathwaysthroughwhichwaterqualitymaybeimpacted;• Thesignificanceof the likelychange towaterqualityaswellas theenvironmentalvalues

affected by those changes, in the context of the cumulative impacts and other relevantissues;

• Whethertheimpactstowaterqualityareconsideredinthecontextofanypublishedwaterqualitycriteriaorstandards,orappropriatecriteriaorstandardsaredeveloped;

• Whether all analyses are undertaken to a standard consistentwith recognised publishedguidanceandappropriateaccreditation;and

• The risk to environmental values and whether proposed mitigation is technically andpracticallyfeasible.

(EPA2016g)

9.3 ReceivingenvironmentThe inland waters associated with the proposed Carlton Plain Stage 1 development include theadjacentOrdRiver,thewetlandarealocatedonthewesternboundaryoftheStage1proposal,anddownstreamwetlands includingParry Lagoonsand theOrdRiver FloodplainRamsar Site (ORFRS).Theseareaswillnotbe‘receiving’KAI’swater,butarediscussedhereinrelationtohowrisktonearbyinland waters is informed by substantial work by theWA Government and others in relation towetlandvalues.

9.3.1 OrdRiverAsdiscussedinSection8.3.2,theOrdRiverflowstothesouthandwestoftheCarltonPlainStage1,andwillbethesourceofirrigationwaterfortheproposeddevelopment,undertheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan (DoW,2013). Theabstractionofwater from theOrd for thepurposeof irrigatingCarltonPlainand/orMantineahasbeenthoroughlyassessedbyagenciesatStateandCommonwealthlevels.

LowerOrdWaterQualityNumerous baseline studies and ongoing river water quality assessments inform Lower Ord rivermanagementdecisions. These includeStorey (2002),WetlandResearchandManagement [WRM]


(2003),WRM(2008),andWRM(2013). GHDcommenced lowerOrdwaterqualitymonitoring forWaterCorporation in2015, inorder tomeet the requirementsofWaterCorporation’sbulkwaterlicencewhichallowsforirrigationwaterabstractionfromtheOrdRiver.ThisalignswiththetriennialwaterqualitymonitoringrequirementestablishedfollowingtheWRMsurveys.

Baseline field surveysof theOrdRiverwereundertakenduring the latedry (September/October)seasonsof2009,2010and2011 (WRM2013b). The surveys included sampling forwaterquality,aquaticmacroinvertebratesandfishattenpotentialimpactsitesalongtheLowerOrdRiveraswellasappropriatecontrolsites.ThesamplingwasdesignedtoestablishbenchmarksagainstwhichtoassessanyfuturechangesinaquaticspeciescompositionrelatedtoreducedflowsintheLowerOrd,asaresultofwaterallocationstotheWeaberPlain(atthetime)orsubsequentdevelopmentsincludingtheCarltonandMantineaPlains.

AdditionalfieldsurveyswereconductedinOctober2011(WRM2013b).Ateachsite,waterqualityvariables,includingpH,dissolvedoxygenandtemperaturewererecordedinsitu.Watersampleswerealsotakenforlaboratoryanalysesofelectricalconductivity,ioniccompositionandnutrients.Waterquality data from 2009, 2010 and 2011 were then plotted and compared across sites and withhistoricaldata,andcomparedtotheANZECC/ARMCANZ(2000)guidelinetriggervalues(TVs)fortheprotectionofaquaticsystemsintropicalAustralia.

Fortheperiod2009-2011,watersatalllowerOrdRiversiteswereassessedtobeofgoodbiologicalquality,with highdaytimedissolvedoxygen levels (5.9 -9.7mg/LDO); alkalinepH (7.9 - 9.5), lowturbidityandlowsalinity(25.5-27.2mS/mEC;110-170mg/LTDS)dominatedbyNa-Cl(reflectingthe influence of seawater) (WRM 2013b). This pre-development assessment of lowerOrdwaterqualityformsthebasisuponwhichanyfuturechangecanbeconsidered.

CurrentmonitoringsitesareillustratedinFigure22.


Figure22-GHDLowerOrdMonitoringSites2015

SpecificaimsoftheGHDstudyareto• Gainanunderstandingoffish,macroinvertebrateandvegetationcommunitiesintheLower

OrdRiverandsurroundingfree-flowingrivers;• Identifyspatialandtemporalchangesinmacroinvertebratecommunitystructure;• Identify the potential key impacting processes resulting in changes to aquatic ecosystem

health;• Gatherbaselinefishdataandperformpoweranalysistoinformtriggerlevels;• Gather baseline vegetation data to inform future changes to community diversity and

structure;• Recommend where appropriate, revision of the study design or site selection based on

prestartsiteassessmentorstatisticaloutcomes.(GHD,2017).

Any riverine impacts of abstraction ofwater for the irrigation of Carlton Plain Stage 1 should beidentifiedthroughtherigorousmonitoringprogramandstatisticaldataanalysisenabledthroughthisgovernment-procuredwork. Riparianvegetationandmacrophytecommunityhealth is included inthemonitoringprogram.Giventheexistenceofbaselinestudiesacrossmanyyears,KAIbelievesanychanges should be detectable in time through the existingmonitoring programs implemented byothers.Nonetheless,KAI’smanagementpractices,outlinedinAppendixA,arebaseddirectlyuponthe monitoring and management actions endorsed by the Commonwealth Minister for theEnvironmentthroughtheconditionsandplansattachedEPBCapprovals2010/5491and2014/7143,relatingtotheGoomigandKnoxPlains.TheAquaticFaunaManagementPlanapprovedfortheKeepRiverensurestheapplicationofmanagementandmonitoringstandardsdesignedtoprotect listedaquatic MNES, including sawfish and river sharks. These management actions include tailwaterrecyclingtopreventdownstreamwaterqualitydecline.

ItisalsonotedthatthelowerOrdRiverhasbeenthereceivingenvironmentforOrdRiverIrrigationArea(ORIA)tailwatersincetheearly1960s.EnvironmentalmanagementrequirementsareinplaceforORIAfarmers,viatheOrdIrrigationCooperative(OIC),whichholdstheORIAStage1waterlicence.


Under OIC’s licence, environmental management triggers have been established in line with theANZECC95%guidelines(thatis,diluteddischargemustbeatanalytelevelslowerthanthosewhicharesafeforatleast95%ofallaquaticfaunaspecies).

KAI will adopt the same triggers which govern the upstream ORIA. However KAI will have theadditionalriskmanagementtooloftailwaterreturnandrecyclingsystemswhicharenotpartoftheORIA.TailwaterreturnssystemsminimisetheriskofnutrientsorpesticidesenteringtheOrdriverandareawellrecognisedenvironmentalmanagementstrategy.

LowerOrdWaterFlowsandEcologicalWaterRequirementsWaterflowstotheLowerOrdhavevariedsignificantlyfromthenaturalstatesincethedammingoftheOrdRiverforagricultureinthe1960sand1970s.LakeArgyle(alsoknownastheOrdRiverDam),whichfirstfilledinthe1974wetseason,stores10,700GLat100%full.Itisoftenabove100%fullwith water flowing out its spillway. The construction and operation of the Ord River Dam, thedownstreamKununurraDiversionDam,andthehydro-electricpowerstationsituatedatthebaseoftheOrdRiverDam,havesubstantiallyalteredtheflowregimeofthelowerOrdRivermakingitflowallyearround.

Trayler et al. (2006) describe the seasonality of the Ord River rainfall and pre-regulation flow asfollows:

Priortotheconstructionofthe[KununurraDiversionandOrdRiver]dams,OrdRiverflowswere highly seasonal and very variable. The widespread and intense monsoonal rainfalleventsofthewetseasonexceededthehighevaporationratesandgeneratedthelargewetseasonflows.However,ifnomajormonsoonaldepressionsdevelopedduringawetseasonand rainfall was limited to local thunderstorm activity, the resultant streamflows werelimited.

Theseasonalvariationwasalsoveryhigh.Intypicalyears,over80%oftheannualstreamflow occurred between January andMarch. Streamflow volumes reducedrapidlytowardstheendofthewetseasonasevaporationagainexceededrainfall.Although,somestreamflowwaspossibleintheearlymonthsofthe“dry”whenlaterainsoccurred,typicallylittleornoflowoccurredbetweenMaytoOctober.

Inthedryseasonpre-damming,theriverdriedtoaseriesofisolatedpoolsinthedeeperpartsofthechannel,suchasontheoutsideofthemeanderbends.Withlittleornodryseasonflow,thelargetidalrangewithinCambridgeGulf(7metresatspringtide)pushedsaltwaterwellup the river channel. Hydraulic modelling indicates that salt water would have reachedbeyondCarltonCrossingwhenriverflowsreducedtoaround2m3.sec-1atspringtides.

(Trayleretal.2006;p19-20)

ConstructionoftheOrdRiverDamresultedin largechanges intheseasonalpatternofflowinthelowerOrdRiver.Overthe31yearsbetween1974-5and2006,averagewetseasonflowsreducedby67%respectivelyandaveragedryseasonflowsincreasedby439%.

ThelowerOrdhaschangedfromaseasonallydrytoaperennialriversystemsincedammingoccurred(Trayleretal.2006)thesechangeshavetransformedthe lowerOrdRiver intoa ‘wettropics’riverfroma‘drytropics’river.

Trayleretal(2006)setthefoundationforthedeterminationofecologicalwaterrequirements(EWRs)for the lowerOrdRiver.Their reportbrought together the findingsofa largenumberof scientific


investigationsundertakenbetween2000and2002 inorder tosummarizethekeyvaluesandflowrelatedissuesforthelowerOrdRiver,underthedirectionofascientificpanel.Considerationsoftheexpertpanel,basedontheirassessmentofpotentialareasofimpact,included–

• Channeldynamicsandsedimentation;• Aquaticandriparianvegetation;• Fishassemblages;• Macroinvertebrates;• Waterbirds;• Ecologicalprocesses;and• Waterquality.

MinimumenvironmentalflowsforthelowerOrdRiverinnormalallocationyearsare42cumecs(m3/sorcubicmetrespersecond),releasedfromtheKununurraDiversionDam.Thisminimumflowhasbeensetbaseduponathoroughgovernmentandscientificcommunityanalysisofthedownstreamflora,faunaandriverdynamicrequirements,includingthenearbyRamsarwetlands.

This flow will be maintain even with the development of these lands, as per the planning andprovisionsoftheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan(DoW2013).

9.3.2 LowerOrd,Ord River Floodplain Ramsar Site, Parry Lagoons andOrdRiverNatureReserveWestoftheproposeddevelopmentareaistheLowerOrdFloodplain,whichobtainedRamsarlistingon7June1990,andcomprisesslightlyover140,000haoffloodplainandestuarinewetlands.Error!Referencesourcenotfound.illustratesthelocationoftheORFRSinrelationtotheCarltonPlainStage1area.

AnEcologicalCharacterDescription(ECD)hasbeenpreparedfortheORFRS(Hale,2008).EcologicalAnEcologicalCharacterDescription(ECD)hasbeenpreparedfortheORFRS(Hale,2008).Ecologicalwaterrequirementswereconsideredpriortothedeterminationofenvironmentalwaterprovisions(Braimbridge & Malseed, 2007; Trayler, Malseed, & Braimbridge, 2006). The ecological waterrequirementshavebeenprovidedforintheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlanalongsideallocationstoirrigatedagriculture–includingtheCarltonandMantineaplains(DepartmentofWater,2013).AdetailedmethodologyfortheallocationplanhasbeenpreparedbytheDepartmentofWater(2012).

AsHale(2008;p5)describes,theOrdRiverFloodplainRamsarSitecontainsavarietyofwetlandtypesandincludesinlandandestuarine/marineareas.Thesitecomprises:

• Parry Lagoons – including both the permanent (or near permanent) waterholes, such asMarlguBillabong,aswellasthebroaderareaoffloodplainwithintheParryLagoonsNatureReservethataresubjecttoperiodicinundation.

• OrdEstuary–astheOrdRiverwithintheRamsarsiteisundertidalinfluence,theareafromtheboundarynearAdolphusIslandtotheRockshasbeengroupedasOrdEstuary.Insomeinstances,(e.g.forwaterqualitymeasurements)thishasbeendividedintotwoareas:openorouterestuarywhich is thearea fromPanton Islanddownstreamto theboundarynearAdolphus Island, and the upper estuary; upstreamof Panton Island,which has a greaterfreshwaterinfluence.

• FalseMouthsoftheOrd–theareaofextensiveintertidalcreeksandflatsinthenorthofthesite.


The information sheet for the listingof theOrdRiverFloodplainasaRamsar site summarises thephysicalfeaturesoftheORFRSasfollows:

TheSiteiscomprisedofdepositionalfloodplainandestuarineenvironmentsassociatedwiththemouthoftheOrdRiverandCambridgeGulf.TherearethreerelativelydistinctwetlandunitsconservedwithintheSite.ThesouthernpartoftheSite isdominatedbyParryCreek,includinga20kmlengthofseasonallyflowingcreekrunningthroughuplandenvironments,andanalluvialfloodplaincomplex.Thefloodplainisinundatedtovaryingdegreesduringthewet season andwhen the rain ceases, except for a few permanent and semi-permanentwaterholesassociatedwithincisedchannelsandclaypans,itquicklydriesout.Theupstream(southern)portionofthefloodplainisfreshwaterwhilethelower(northern)sections,ifnotinundatedbysalinewater,aresurroundedbysaltysoils.

Extending north from the floodplain of Parry Creek to the Cambridge Gulf are the lowerreaches of the Ord River. The upstream reaches of the Ord River within the Site arepermanently fresh, however the downstream reaches,when not in flood, quickly becomesalineduetotidalinfluence.Thetidalamplitudeatthecoastcanbeupto8m.Theupstreamendoftheriverchannelisaround150mwide,increasingtoover5kmwideatthemouth.ProcessesofsedimentdepositiondominatealongtheentirelengthoftheriverontheSite,withbroadsandyorgravellyspitsoccurringalongtheupstreamreacheswhileunstablemudbarsandislandsarecommonnearthemouth.

NorthfromthemouthoftheOrdRiver,theSiteextendsforsomedistancearoundthecoasttoincludetheFalseMouthsoftheOrd,whichconsistofadeltaicmazeofchannels,tidallyinundated coastal mudflats and islands. Only the northernmost channel in this complexreceivesmuchfreshwaterinput,whichcomesfromtherelativelysmallandephemeralEmu,StationandTanmurraCreeks.

TheseasonalwetlandssouthoftheOrdRiverarefreshandsometimesfringedbylowshrubsortrees.Theyaresurroundedbyaflat,grass-coveredplain.Themudflatsalongtheriverand the eastern side of Cambridge Gulf support patches of Sporobolus grassland andsamphire.Theyareincisedbynumerouscreeksandchannels,alongwhichextensivestandsofmangrovesgrow.MangrovesalsogrowalongtheOrdRiverandtheseawardsideofthemudflats.

(DepartmentofConservationandLandManagement2003;unpaged)

TheDepartmentofWater(2012;2013)hasfullyassessedtheimplicationsofwaterabstractionfromtheOrdRiverupontheORFRSpriortomakingprovisionforpotentialextractionof115GLtosupporttheirrigationoftheCarltonandMantineaPlains.EnvironmentalimpactsontheRiverfromthiswaterextractionisnotinquestion.

OrdRiverFloodplainRamsarSiteTheOrdRiverFloodplainRamsarSite(ORFRS)islocateddownstreamofCarltonPlain.TheDepartmentoftheEnvironment(2011)describesthehabitatoftheORFRSasfollows:

ParryLagoons,atthesouthernendofthesite,hasbroadfloodplainsthatperiodicallyfloodanddryoutandpermanentwaterholes.Northofthelagoons,thesiteincludestheOrdRiverEstuary leading into theCambridgeGulf.Thenorth-eastendof the siteheadsaround thecoasttoincludeaseriesofextensiveintertidalcreeksandflatsknownastheFalseMouthsofthe Ord. The upstream portion of the floodplain and river tends to be freshwater, andbecomes more saline as the river approaches the Cambridge Gulf and falls under tidal


influence.

Mangrovesarethemostcommonvegetationinthesite,extendingfromtheFalseMouthsoftheOrdtotheupstreamsectionsoftheestuary.Themangrovesformnarrowfringesalongtheintertidalareas,withsaltmarshonhigherground.Theintertidalmangrovessupportmanyspeciesofbirdsandbats,andareabreedingareaforbananaprawns.

TheParry Lagoon floodplains are dominatedby grassland, the lowerOrdRiver andParryCreekbyriparianwoodland,andthepermanentwaterholesbyaquaticvegetation.

Over200speciesofbirdshavebeenrecordedwithinthesiteincludingwaterfowl,migratoryshorebirds, mangrove birds and terrestrial species. The site supports the nationallythreatenedAustralianpaintedsnipe.

Thewetlandsarehabitatformanydiadromousfishspecies(thatrequiremigrationbetweenmarine and more freshwater environments some time during their life), including thenationally threatened species freshwater sawfish, green sawfishandnorthern river shark.Reptilesthatusethesiteincludethefreshwatercrocodileandsaltwatercrocodile.

(DepartmentoftheEnvironment,2011)

Other wetland areas, including the False Mouths of the Ord and the Ord River Estuary arepredominantlysubjecttotidalinfluences.Hale(2008)notesthatthetidalrangeextendsfortheentireORFRS(withtheexceptionofParryLagoons)rangingfrom7mattheestuarymouth, to2mspringtidesupstreaminthelowerOrd.

ImpactontheORFRSduetosurfacewaterabstractionisnotexpectedgiventhattheOrdRiverSurfaceWater Allocation Plan was directly informed by the scientific analyses of the Ramsar site waterrequirements. As tailwaterwillnotbedischarged intothe lowerOrdRiver fromtheCarltonPlainStage1area,waterqualityimpactsarenotexpected.

9.4 Potentialimpacts,predictedoutcomeandmitigationGiventhattheabstractionofwaterforirrigationontheCarltonPlainandMantineasitesiswithinthepermittedallocationsestablishedbygovernments,takingintoaccounttheimpactsupondownstreamflora,faunaandhabitats,therewillbenosignificantimpactsupontheseoff-sitefactors.

Existing groundwater depth and salinity concentrations lower in the Ord catchment are notanticipatedtobeimpactedsubstantiallybythedevelopmentoftheCarltonStage1areaforirrigation.AnacceleratedandimprovedmonitoringregimewillinformtheplanninganddevelopmentofotherstagesacrosstheCarltonandMantineaplains,andthesewillconsidergroundwaterchangeimpactswheregroundwaterriskishigher.

Managementactionsadopted for thenearbyGoomigandKnoxdevelopmentswillnonethelessbeapplied,perAppendixA,onthebasisthattheseactionshavebeenapprovedbyregulatorstominimiseknownrisks,andthusshouldbeappliedwherepracticableandwheresimilarenvironmentalissuesrequiremitigation,managementormonitoring.


10.0 KeyEnvironmentalFactor7–SocialSurroundings

10.1 EPAobjectiveToprotectsocialsurroundingsfromsignificantharm.

10.2 PolicyandguidanceConsiderations for Environmental ImpactAssessment in relation to the factorSocial Surroundingsinclude:

• Applicationofthemitigationhierarchytoavoidorminimiseimpactsonsocialsurroundings,wherepossible;

• Theaesthetic,cultural,economicand/orsocialvalueswhichmaybeimpacted,andwhetherthosevaluesaresignificant;

• The contribution implementation of the proposal may make to existing or predictedcumulativeimpactstoaesthetic,culturalorsocialvalues;

• Thatemissionsofnoise,odourordustareconsideredinthecontextofrelevantlegislation,criteriaorstandards;

• Thelevelofconfidencewithwhichthepredictedimpactstosocialsurroundingshavebeenmade,andwhatistheriskshouldthosepredictionsbeincorrect;and

• Whetherproposedmanagementormitigationof impacts toaesthetic, cultural,economicand/orsocialsurroundingsistechnicallyandpracticallyfeasible.

(EPA,2016h).

10.3 Receivingenvironment

10.3.1 AboriginalheritageandcultureKAIwillcomplywiththerequirementsandexpectationsoftheOrdFinalAgreementandtheAboriginalHeritageAct 1972 in relation to TraditionalOwners’ rights.Not only is there a legal obligation tocomplywiththis,butamoralcommitmenttodosoaswell.

KAIhasrecently(lateJune2017)securedAboriginalheritageclearancefromTraditionalOwners,andisintheprocessofformalisingthisclearance.Atthetimeofpreparationofthisdocument,KAIwasawaitingaheritagereportandformalnotificationoftheheritageclearance.

10.3.2 AmenityAmenityfactorsrelatingtotheCarltonPlainandMantineasitesincludepublicaccesstorecreationalfishingandcampinginthelowerOrdRiverarea,includinguseoftheMambiIslandcampingfacilitiesmaintainedbytheShireofWyndhamEastKimberley(SWEK),situatedat-15.3458S,128.2824E.Thiscampsite, while officially designated through SWEK, is locatedwithin the riparian reserve on thesouthernbankoftheOrdRiver.

Adjacent,smallcrownleasesinclude‘HairyDog’sFishingCamp’and‘Macka’sBarraCamp’(althoughMackasisnolongeroperated),locatedonthesouthandnorthsidesoftheriverrespectively.TourismonthelowerOrdRiverisanimportantaspectoftheEastKimberleyeconomy.

KAIdoesnot intend restrictingOrdRiveraccess to thepublic,notinghowever that riveraccess is


currently,andwillremain,throughprivateproperty(eitherfreeholdorgrazinglease).

10.3.3 EconomicSection2.0ofthisdocumentoutlinesthescalerequirementsforagriculturaldevelopmenttosucceedintheOrdValley.Theeconomicbenefitstoaccruetotheregion,andtoNorthernAustraliaingeneral,will be substantial if production scale can be achieved. Downstream processing opportunities,includingnon-farmjobssuchastransport,processingandpackaging,willbegintoemerge.

Without scale, theeconomicbenefitswhichoffer somuchpromisewith soil andwater resourcesavailableintheEastKimberley,willnotbeseen.

CarltonPlainStage1isthefirstofanumberofdevelopmentswillwillrequireapprovaliftheeconomicbenefitsaretobeobtained.


11.0 CommunityconsultationandengagementonproposalTheCarltonPlain,MantineaandTarraradevelopmentproposalshavebeenpresentedtoabroadarrayofstakeholders,includingpublicadvertisingoftheoriginalclearingpermitapplicationsthroughtheDepartmentofEnvironmentalRegulationinearly2017.Table16providesasummaryoftheextensiveconsultationactivitiesundertaken,feedbackreceivedandconcernsraised(whereappropriate),andwhereinthisdocumentissuesraisedareaddressed.

Advicefromcommunityandgovernmentstakeholders,includingresponsesreceivedbyDERduringthepubliccommentperiodfortheclearingpermitapplications,haveinformedthemodificationoftheoriginalproposalstotheStage1developmentapplicationpresentedhere.

Notethatat20July2017,KAIhadrequestedbutnotreceivedcopiesofresponsesprovidedtoDERbyagenciesandrespondentstothepublicadvertisingperiodfortherespectiveclearingpermits.Assuch,Table16reliesonsummaryadviceprovidedbyDER in thePreliminaryAssessmentReport forCPS7399/1 (CarltonPlain),CPS7400/1 (Mantinea freeholdarea)andCPS7401/1 (Mantinea leaseholdarea).


Table16-Summaryofpublicconsultationandcommunityengagement:CarltonPlain

Date EngagementactivitywhichincludedCarltonPlaindiscussions/respondenttoDERadvertising

Mattersdiscussed/concerns/issuesraised Wherespecificissuesareaddressedinthisdocument

24/8/16 KAI purchased Carlton Hill, Ivanhoe Station and allfreeholds associated with Consolidated PastoralCompany/TerraFirmaintheOrdregion.

Ongoingresponsibilitiesincluderegularstartofseason/endofseasondiscussionsregardinglandmanagementandprogressofeachparty'sfarmingand/orpastoralactivity

Section3.0.

29/11/16 KAIpresentationonCarltonHillandMantineatoShireofWyndhamEastKimberley,MGCorporation,DoWandDAFWAregionalmanagers.

1/12/16 KAI meeting with MG Corporation re AboriginalDevelopmentPackage(ADP)forMantinea.

1/12/16 KAI meeting with Shire of Wyndham East KimberleyCEO.

Sections4.0,5.0,6.0,7.0,8.0,9.0.

12/12/16 KAIlodgedapplicationwithDERtoclearapproximately19,000haofCarltonHillfreeholdandMantineafreeholdandleaseholdland.

22/12/16 KAImeetingwithDPaW. Floraandfaunasurveys,Ramsarwetlands,Typhonium,Parryfloodplains,Ivanhoesoils

1/1/17 KAIlodgeapplicationtoclearapproximately6,000haonTarrara,CarltonHillpastorallease(CockatooSands)andsubsequentpastoraldiversificationpermittoPLB.

19/1/17 DER advertised CPS7399/1, CPS7400/1, CPS7401/1(CarltonPlainandMantinea)inTheWestAustralianfora 21-day public submission period. Two submissionsweresubsequentlyreceived.

Refer to feedback dated 31/5/17 (date of DER Preliminary Assessment Reportrelating toclearingpermitapplications forCarltonPlain,MantineaandTarrara.Responses specifically related toTarrara -CPS7475/1–areexcluded from thistable.

9/2/17 BriefingtoMikeBowley,DAFWARegionalManager(oneofmanysuchdiscussions).

Section3.0.

21/2/17 BriefingtoDuncanPalmer,DoWRegionalManager(oneofmanysuchdiscussions).

Tables5and6.

27/2/17 DiscussionwithDominiqueReeves,MGCorporation,reMantineaADP.

Section10.3.1.

28/2/17 BriefingtoJohnDong,NTGovernmentOrdOffice. Section3.0.9/3/17 IntroductorybriefingonCarltonandMantineatoPhilip

Vincent(MGCorporationA/CEO),LawfordBenning(MGCorporationChairperson)andDominiqueReeves.

Indigenousemployment.JobopportunitiesforTraditionalOwners. Section10.3.1.Section10.3.3.

14/3/17 MeetingwithDominiqueReeves (MGCorp) reCarltonPlainheritageclearance.

Heritageclearance-CarltonPlain. Section10.3.1.

16/3/17 Briefing to Lorraine Corowa and John Dong, NTGovernmentOrdOffice.

Section3.0.

16/3/17 Presentation to DAFWA regional strategy meeting.Attendees included local agricultural industryrepresentatives, Chamber of Commerce, localgovernment.

Strategiesforindustrygrowthintheregion. Section3.0.

22/3/17 ClontarfvisittoKAIfarms. OverviewoflocalAboriginalemployment/careeropportunities Section10.3.3.27/3/17 Briefing to Kate Blagrove and Madi Signa - Office of

NorthernAustralia/AusIndustry. Section3.0.




28/3/17 Briefing to Bronwyn McLean, Grains Research andDevelopmentCorporation.

R&Dandregionalplans Section3.0.

29/3/17 DiscussionwithIanBaker,NTFarmers. Section3.0.30/3/17 Northern Australia Crop Research Alliance Board

meeting.DiscussiononcropexpansionopportunitiesviaCarltonPlainproject Section3.0.

11/4/17 MeetingwithSWEKCEOCarlAskew. CarltonHillRoad Section3.0.13/4/17 Briefing note sent to new Minister for Agriculture

Alannah MacTiernan with Building the Ord visiondocumentandintroductoryletterfromKAI.

Section3.0.

20/4/17 Horizon Power and Chinese government delegationbriefing.

Section3.0.

21/4/17 Meeting with MG Corporation regarding Tarrara,CarltonPlainheritageclearanceandMantineaADP.

Tarrara;heritageclearanceCarltonPlain,ADP Section10.3.1.

26/4/17 MeetingwithMGCorporationtoorganiseCarltonPlainheritageclearancesitevisit.

CarltonPlainheritageclearance Section10.3.1.

28/4/17 BriefingandKAIfarmingtour:30localbusinesses. Section3.0.1/5/17 Interview with Northern Australia Water Resources

Assessmentproject(DrJaneAddison)CSIRO. Section3.0.

8/5/17 MeetingwithWAGovernmentOrdcoordinationgroup-LandCorp, Department of Regional Development andLands,MGCorporation,KAI - regardingprogressofallprojectsassociatedwithKAI'sDevelopmentAgreementwiththeState.

Formalmeetingonprogressofalllanddevelopmentprojects Section3.0.

10/5/17 MeetingwithDAFWARegionalManagerMike Bowleyregarding KAI's regional plans and associatedagriculturalresearchanddevelopment(R&D).

R&Dandregionalplans Section3.0.

10/5/17 PresentationtoDepartmentofWaterOrdStakeholdersforum: approximately 60 persons in attendance fromindustry, community and government. GovernmentattendeesincludedrepresentativesfromDoW,DAFWA,DRD,DepartmentofStateDevelopment.

Section3.0.

16/5/17 KAIpresentationandbustourtoKimberley,PilbaraandNT Local Governments. Approximately 100 localgovernmentrepresentativesinattendance.

AttendeesexpressedconcernthatKAIdidnothavetenure. Section3.0.

17/5/17 Meeting with Dominique Reeves, MG Corporation, reCarltonPlainheritageclearance.

Section10.3.1.

19/5/17 Community, visitor and corporate tour of KAIoperations,organisedthroughOrdValleyMuster.

Section3.0.

24/5/17 Community, visitor and corporate tour of KAIoperations,organisedthroughOrdValleyMuster.

Section3.0.

31/5/17 PreliminaryAssessmentReport-DER-ProvidedtoKAI. ReferralpreparedinresponsetoDERreport.31/5/17 SubmissionA-objectingtoproposeddevelopment. The scaleofKAI'sproposeddevelopment is amongst the largest seen inWA in

severaldecades.Noted.

31/5/17 SubmissionA TheproponenthasprovidednoinformationonthecurrentenvironmentorlikelyimpactsandwithoutafullassessmentviatheEPActandEPBCActthepublicwill

SurveyswereprovidedtoDERwiththeclearingpermitapplications.Includedwiththisreferral.




havenoknowledgeofwhattheimpactsoftheproposedclearingandsubsequentdevelopmentwillbe.

31/5/17 SubmissionA The proponent appears to be refusing to refer the proposal to the FederalEnvironmentMinisterfordecisiononanyEPBCassessmentdespitethepresenceofseveralMattersofNationalEnvironmentalSignificance(MNES).

Section9.3.2.

31/5/17 SubmissionA Thedirect,indirect,downstreamandcumulativeimpactsofthesethreeclearingapplicationsarelikelytoresultinseriousdetrimentalenvironmentalimpacts.

Thisstatementisbroadandnotquantified.Thepotentialimpactsareconsideredthroughoutthisdocument,withquantificationwherepossible.

31/5/17 SubmissionA Theseimpactsinclude: 31/5/17 SubmissionA Extensive impacts on high quality riparian vegetation and threatened species

habitat.Section9.0.

31/5/17 SubmissionA Impactsonwaterqualityandfreshwaterecosystemsfromincreaseinturbidity,sedimentation,salinisationandchemicalrun-off.

Section9.0.

31/5/17 SubmissionA AdjacenttointernationallysignificantRamsar-listedOrdwetlands. Section9.3.2.31/5/17 SubmissionA Impacts via increased greenhouse emissions from clearing and burning almost

20,000haofnativewoodland.Reducedto3,086ha:predominantlygrasslandwhichwillnotrequireburningofwoodland.

31/5/17 SubmissionA DuetotheirscaleandimpactstheapplicationsshouldbereferredtotheEPAforassessmentatthePERlevel.

Thisreferral.

31/5/17 SubmissionA UndernocircumstancesshouldtheDERdecideontheseapplicationswithoutafullpublicexaminationoftheproposal/sandtheirlikelyimpacts.

Noted.Thisreferral.

31/5/17 SubmissionB-objectingtoproposeddevelopment. Thescaleandnatureoftheclearingapplicationwillhaveasignificant,detrimentalimpactontheenvironment.

Thisstatementisbroadandnotquantified.Thepotentialimpactsareconsideredthroughoutthisdocument,withquantificationwherepossible.

31/5/17 SubmissionB The proposal is likely to have a significant impact on twowetlands of nationalimportance.

Section9.0.

31/5/17 SubmissionB TheproposalislikelytohaveasignificantimpactonaRamsarlistedwetland. Section9.0.31/5/17 SubmissionB TheareaislikelyhabitatforspeciallyprotectedorthreatenedfaunaincludingEPBC

listedspecies(30EPBCActListedSpeciesand41MigratorySpecies)Section9.3.2.

31/5/17 SubmissionB ThelikelihoodofthepresenceofpriorityfloraandpossibleDeclaredRareFlora[DRF]

Section4.0.

31/5/17 SubmissionB Novegetationsurveysareavailabletocommenton. SurveyswereprovidedtoDER.Includedwiththisreferral.31/5/17 SubmissionB Nofaunasurveysareavailabletocommenton. SurveyswereprovidedtoDER.Includedwiththisreferral.31/5/17 SubmissionB Thereisaveryhighpotentialforsalinityaccordingtoreports. CarltonPlainStage1areashowslowsalinityrisk.31/5/17 SubmissionB Thereisthepotentialforsignificantsoilerosionthroughwindandrain. Managementmeasureswilladdresserosion.31/5/17 SubmissionB Nowaterlicenceshavebeenprovided. WaterlicenceswillbeappliedforonceEPAdevelopmentapprovalisobtainedfor

CarltonandMantinealands.31/5/17 SubmissionB TheSoilandLandCommissionerhasyettoprovideadviceonthisproposal. Seebelow.31/5/17 SubmissionB WerequesttheproposalbereferredbytheDERtotheCommonwealthandtothe

WA EPA for assessment. The Department of State Development has recentlyreferred a much smaller application (8ha of vegetation to be cleared) to theCommonwealth - Extension of Moonamang Road to the WA/NT border - forassessmentundertheEPBCAct1999.

Thisreferral.

31/5/17 DERcommentonpublicsubmissions. ManyoftheconcernsraisedinthesubmissionshavebeenaddressedwithintherelevantclearingPrinciples.AllconcernsinrelationtoendlanduseimpactshavenotbeenaddressedintheclearingPrinciples[and]furtherassessmentunderPartIV of the Environmental Protection Act 1986 is required to assess the risksassociatedwithendlanduseimpacts.

Thisreferral.




31/5/17 DepartmentofWateradvicereCPS7399/1,CPS7400/1,CPS7401/1.

OrdWater allocation plan recognises proposals to develop 8,200ha on CarltonPlainand4,200haonMantinea. 115GL/yrwaterallocatedtoCarlton-Mantineasub-area,withanadditional281GL/yravailableforallocationwithintheMainOrdsub-area.IfKAIrequiresadditionalwater,itcanapplyforanallocationfromtheMainOrdsub-area. Thereissufficientwatertoallocateforthisproject. Actualgrantingofa[surface]waterlicenceissubjecttoanapplicationandassessmentprocess.

Table6.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater Ifgroundwater isrequired,theproponentwillneedtoapplyfora5C licencetotakewateranda26Dlicence

Groundwaterwillnotberequired.Section2.3.2.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater IftheproponentneedstodisturbthebedandbanksofawatercourseitwillneedtoapplyforapermitunderSection17oftheRiWIAct.

BedandBankspermitswillbeappliedforasrequired.Section2.3.2.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater Legalaccess to land (suchaseasements)willneed tobedemonstrated foranyworks,accessorinfrastructureassociatedwith5ClicencesorSection17permits.

Section2.3.2.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater WaterCorporation is responsible formeetingtherequiredenvironmental flows[of the lower Ord River] and monitoring their effectiveness in preserving theecologicalvalues.

Noted.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater TheproposedclearingpermitareawillimpactfourofthetenriparianvegetationmonitoringtransectsthatformpartofthelowerOrdRiverecologicalmonitoringsites.Thesetransectsmustberetainedintheirentiretywithvegetatedbuffersinplace to reduce impacts including encroachment of weed species. The othermonitoringsites(includingmacroinvertebratesandfish)mustalsobeprotectedthroughuseofextensivevegetatedbufferzonesandappropriateclearingandon-farmpractices...

Noted.TransectlocationswillbeobtainedfromDoW.VegetatedzonesareretainedwithintheCarltonPlainfreeholdboundary.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater Giventhescaleandlocationoftheproposedpermitboundaries,theclearingposeson-site and off-site risks to groundwater and surface water quality throughincreased erosion, sedimentation and nutrient levels, and potential changes tohydrologicalregimesasaresultofchangestostormwatervelocitiesandoverlandflow paths (but not from the take of water from the Ord River which will beregulatedandmanagedundertheRiWIActandtheOrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan).Theproposedlandusealsoposesriskstogroundandsurfacewaterqualityfromcontaminationfromchemicalsandfertilisers.

Sections5.0,6.0,8.0.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater Localisedgroundwaterlevelsandpresenceofsalinesodicsoil layersneedtobeconsidered to prevent impacts to water quality arising from waterlogging andsalinityissues.

CarltonPlainStage1areashowslowsalinityrisk.Section8.3.1.

31/5/17 DepartmentofWater Clearing permit boundaries may need to be adjusted… and appropriatemanagementandmonitoringmeasuresputinplacetoreducetheseriskstowaterqualityfromtheclearingandproposedlanduse.

CarltonPlainStage1footprintreducedfromoriginalproposal.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Inaddition to the informationDPaWprovided in relation to impactsassociatedwith the proposed clearing (contained within the relevant Clearing Principles),DPaWalsoprovidedthefollowingcommentonimpactsassociatedwiththeendlanduse:

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Thereis…amoderatetohighriskofincreasedlevelsofnutrientsandpesticidesfromirrigationdrainagetotheecologyofthelowerOrdRiver.Therearealreadyrecordsofconcentrationsoftwoagriculturalchemicalsexceedingguidelinelevelswithin the Ord River. In addition, fish kills have been observed and there is

IrrigationwillnotdraintothelowerOrdRiver.Tailwaterrecyclingwilloccuronfarm.Stormwaterflowoverlandunderwetseasonconditionswilloccurnaturally.KAI understands that the cited records of chemical-related fish kills relate toEndosulfan, which has been banned in Australia for nearly a decade, and the




evidence of bioaccumulation of pesticides in barramundi (Lates calcarifer) andfreshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni). Nutrient leachingmayalso causeeutrophication.

eventsoccurred intheDunhamRiverapproximately15-20yearsago. Nutrientleachingcontributingtoeutrophicationisnotexpected,particularlygiventhe42m3/s(cumecs)minimumenvironmentalflowinthelowerOrdRiverthroughtheKununurraDiversionDam.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Contaminated stormwater runoff, particularly agricultural (fertilisers andchemicals) may also affect water quality and cause habitat degradation,particularlylateinthedryseason.

Stormwaterrunoffwillonlyoccurwhenthereisamplerainfall.OrdStage1andOrdStage2experience indicates chemical runoff risk ishigherearly in thedryseason,withverylowriskatendofdryseason.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Changes to thehydrologyandgroundwater levelof theareadue tovegetationclearing, agriculture and irrigation are a very significant consideration for thisproposal,butlittleinformationisprovidedaboutthelikelyimpactsoftheclearingproposalonhydrologyoftheproposalareaoritssurrounds.

CarltonPlainStage1designplansincludedrainagedesign.Figure6.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Theriskofgroundwaterandsoilsalinityandotherhydrologicalchangesincludingaltered drainage patterns, flooding and nutrient enrichment are high in theproposalarea,sothepotentialforsecondaryimpactsfromthissourceisalsoveryhigh.

CarltonPlainStage1areashowslowsalinityrisk.Figure8.3.1.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife TheDepartment recommends that this proposal be referred to the EPA as perotherOrdStage2developmentsforconsiderationofanyrequirementforformalenvironmentalimpactassessmentforthefollowingreasons:

Thisreferral.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife The vast extent of proposed clearing and the proposed land use of irrigatedagriculture has the potential to have a significant cumulative impact onconservationvaluesintheareaandtocauseseverelanddegradationtothesiteandadjacentareas.

The‘potential’notedhereisaddressedandquantifiedthroughoutthisdocument.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Thecomplexityofissues,valuesandsensitivitiesinthisareas. 31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife LanddevelopmentintheOrdRiverarea,especiallyinrelationtotheblacksoilflats,

hasnotincludedanyplanningforconservationoftheselandunits.Verylittleisincluded in the formal conservation estate, and in general there has been noplanningforadequatebuffersandcorridorslinkingareasofthislandunit.

BlacksoilisnotpresentonCarltonPlainStage1.VegetatedzonesareretainedwithintheCarltonPlainfreeholdboundary.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife The primary impacts to the Ivanhoe Land System PEC from this current singleproposal are extremely high, representing ~15% of the total area of the landsystemmappedinWA.

BlacksoilisnotpresentonCarltonPlainStage1.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Thereisahighriskofsalinity,altereddrainageandflooding,nutrientenrichmentandotherhydrologicalissuestotheproposalareaandthesurroundingextremelyhighconservationvalues, theOrdRiverFloodplainRamsar site,and thenearbynaturereserves,asaconsequenceofthisproposal.

LowsalinityriskonCarltonPlainStage1–refertoSection8.3.1.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Due to the high risk of impacts to Ramsar listed sites (Matters of NationalEnvironmental Significance) and to EPBC listed species the proposal requiresreferralundertheEPBCActtotheDepartmentoftheEnvironmentandEnergy.

Sections7.0,9.0.

31/5/17 DepartmentofParksandWildlife Cumulative impacts ofOrd agricultural proposals to important values includingvegetation,andstablehydrologyneedtobefullyconsideredandpotentialforlanddegradation managed and minimised. Any consideration of approval shouldincludeadequateplanningfroprotectedareas,buffersandcorridorstomaintaintheintegrityofthebiodiversityvaluesassociatedwiththisarea.

Vegetation (riparian) corridors between the Ord River and the Carlton PlainfreeholdboundaryareoutsideofKAI’sdevelopmentarea(withtheexceptionofminoreasementsforpipelines,pertheproposaldesign).VegetatedzonesareretainedwithintheCarltonPlainfreeholdboundary.

31/5/17 Commissioner of Soil and Land Conservation Advice -CPS7399/1CPS7400/1CPS7401/1.

In addition to the advice provided by the Commissioner of Soil and LandConservation (CSLC) relating specifically to the impacts of clearing referred towithin Principles (g) and (i), advicewas also provided relating to the proposed




infrastructure and the end land use associated with the proposed agriculturalworks.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation TheMantineaclaysandtheWinbidjiloams(associatedwithCPS7400/1andCPS7401/1)havehighsubsoilsalinitiesthatareliabletoseriouslyimpactagriculturalproductionunder irrigation. Anyrise insalinegroundwaterwill seriouslyaffectirrigatedagriculturalproductionandcompromisethelongtermsustainabilityoftheaffectedareas.


31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Irrigation salinity and subsoil sodicity are issues thatwill requiremanagement.Thistypicallyincludesapplicationofadditionalirrigationwater(leachingfraction)in conjunction with groundwater and surface water drainage management.Additionally,thebalanceofionsintheirrigationwaterandthesoilsolutionmayalsorequirecarefulmanagementtomaintainlongtermproductivity.


31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Depending on how the proponent implements the project, these factorswhencombinedmayhaveimplicationsonwaterqualityandquantitydownstreamoftheprojectaswellasthemanagementtriggersfortheOrdStage1area.

Noted.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Clearingandlaserlevelling: 31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation The preliminary soil surveys undertaken by the Department of Agriculture

between1944and1996pointtoareaswherefloodirrigationwillbedifficultduetosurface topography (bothvery flatgradesandundulating land)andsoil type(subsoilsalinityandtexture).

Noted.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Irrigation'block'orfarmlayoutisdependentoncarefulconsiderationoftheseandotherfactors,inordertominimiseexcessiveinfrastructurecostsassociatedwithsealing supply channels constructedon leaky soil, excessive cutand fill to laserlevelundulatingandveryflattopographyandsurfaceandsubsurfacedrainagetomanagewaterloggingandsalinity.

Farm design has carefully considered existing topography and soils. Refer toFigure4.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Theproponentsrecognisethatclearingisliabletoexacerbatesoilerosionandthatmanagementofsurfacewaterwillberequired.However,asthedetailedplanninghasnotyetbeencompleted,it isnotpossiblefromtheinformationprovidedtoassesstheefficacyofthisstrategy.

Specific soilmanagement actionswill be included in the Carlton Plain Stage 1environmentalmanagementplantoensureminimalsoilerosion.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation ConstructionofHillsideDrainsandLevees: 31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Theconstructionofhillsidedrainsandleveeswillbecriticaltominimisetherisks

associated with soil erosion, sedimentation, nutrient export, groundwaterrechargeandwaterloggingduetosurfacewaterrun-offfromadjacentrangeland,especially duringextendedwetperiodsor intense rainfall events typical of thisdistrict.

Figure4.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Thesecriticalstructuresalsohavepotential tocauseserioussoilerosionshouldtheyfailorthedischargestructuresareinadequate.

Noted.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Asnoconceptualordetailedplansforthisinfrastructurehavebeenprovidedwiththeseapplications,theseelementshavenotbeenevaluated.

Figure4.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Watersupplyandwaterdistributioninfrastructure: 31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Aconceptualplanforthelocationofpumpstations,supplychannelsandtailwater

storagefacilitieshasnotbeenprovidedwiththeclearingpermitapplications.Dueto inherent site characteristicsalreadydescribed, thereare considerablyhigherrisks associatedwith thedevelopmentof anextensive irrigationprojecton theapplicationareas,comparedwiththosedevelopedunderOrdStage1.

Figure8.Figure4.




31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Inadditiontothis,thewaterrequirementforthisproposeddevelopmentislikelytobesignificantlyhigherthanthewaterallocationforthearea.Therefore,therewillbeapressingneedtomanagetransmissionlossesonthisgroundalone.

Table6.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation On the Carlton Plain side of the river, there are extensive areas of loamy soils(GroupAsoilsofStoneman).Supplychannelstraversingthesesoilswillneedtobelined,ifexcessiveseepageistobeavoided.Thiswillhaveanimportantbearingonirrigationblockdesign.

Claychannelliningandcompactionwillbeimplementedtominimiseseepage.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Intheearly1990s,transmissionlossesintheOrdStage1claylinedchannelsweremeasuredbyGHDfortheWAWaterAuthority.LossesfromtheCununurraclay,transitionalsoilsandAquitainephasesoilswereestimatedtobearound27%.

Noted.PreviousOrdexperiencehasbeenfactoredintodesign.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Losses from channels through the Group A soils are liable to bemuch higher.Wherethischannelseepageoccursinareasunderlainbyregolithofmoderatetohigh salinity andwith shallow salinewater tables, secondary salinity is likely todevelop.

Claychannelliningandcompactionwillbeimplementedtominimiseseepage.LowsalinityriskonCarltonPlainStage1–refertoSection8.3.1.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation The tailwater storage facilities plannedby the applicantsmaybe important foraugmenting the irrigation water supplies as well as managing soluteconcentrationsintheirrigationsupplywaterinordertomanagesodicsoils.

Noted.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Intheabsenceofdetailedplansithasnotbeenpossibletoevaluatethelikelylanddegradationrisksassociatedwiththesekeyinfrastructurecomponents.

Figures4,5,6,7,8.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Tailwaterrecyclingfacilities: 31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation These structures are important elements of the project that minimise off-site

impacts of extensive agricultural developments (associated with salinity,sediments, nutrient export) as well as augmenting increasingly valuable waterresources.

Noted.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Generallytheseshouldbedesignedtohavesufficientstoragecapacitytocapturethe 'first flush' stormwater runoff and to be integrated with both the supplysystemsandthestormwatermanagementsystems.

Tailwaterreturnfacilitiesareanintegralpartoffarmdesign.Notethatthehighestenvironmentalriskfromstormwaterrunoffoccursattheendofthewetseason(postpre-emergentfieldpreparations)andnottheendofthedryseason,which,although held as high risk, is generally followed up by substantial rainfall andflushing,andisthuslessriskthantheearlydryseasonlaterains.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Beyondthere-useoftailwateronfarms,theobjectivesfortailwatermanagementintheseapplicationsarenotclear.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Groundwatermanagementanddisposalinfrastructure: 31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation KAI indicate theywill undertake detailed groundwater and soil risk assessment

followingclearingapprovalandcompletionofgroundwatermodelling.LowsalinityriskonCarltonPlainStage1–refertoSection8.3.1.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Thepreliminary land resource capability assessment indicates that areas underapplication toclearareat riskofdevelopingserioussalinityproblems followingclearing and under irrigated agriculture. Therefore, the management ofgroundwaterisacriticalelementforthelongtermsuccessofthisproject.


31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation DrainageforthemanagementofsalinityisnotifiableunderRegulation5oftheSoilandLandConservationRegulations1992.AdetailedassessmentofanyproposeddrainagewouldbeassessedafteraNoticeofIntenttoDrainhasbeenlodgedwiththeCommissioner.

SalinitydrainagewillnotberequiredforCarltonPlainStage1.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Failure to successfully manage saline groundwater will have economicconsequencesfortheproponentandenvironmentalconsequencesfortheState.


31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Overallconclusions:




31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Theassessmentoftheseapplicationsleadstothefollowingconclusions- 31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Someof theapplicationareashavemoderatetohighriskofdevelopingsalinity

afterclearingandalsoafterdevelopmentforirrigatedagriculture.CarltonPlainStage1identifiedasgenerallylowenvironmentalrisk.RefertoSection8.3.1.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Theproposedlaserlevellingforfloodirrigationmaycauseacceleratedsoilerosionandsedimentation.

Tobemanagedthroughcarefuldesignbasedonsoiltypeandtopography.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Theaggregatewaterrequirementfortheprojectissubstantiallygreaterthantheallocation for these development areas and may have off-site water qualityimplications.

Table6.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Theproposedwater supplyanddistribution infrastructuremaycause increasedgroundwaterrechargeandassociatedsecondarysalinity.

CarltonPlainStage1identifiedaslowsalinityrisk.Section8.3.1.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Asdetailedplanshavenotbeendeveloped,ithasnotbeenpossibletoassesstheproposed hillside drains and levees, other surface water and groundwatermanagementsystemsandthetailwaterrecyclingfacilities.

Figures4,5,6,7.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Many of the issues identified in this assessment cannot be regulated withconditionsofaclearingpermitissuedunderPartVoftheEnvironmentalProtectionAct1986.ThisisunsatisfactoryforboththeproponentandtheState.

Thisreferral.

31/5/17 CommissionerofSoilandLandConservation Inviewoftheverylargescaleofthisclearingproposal,thelackofdetailedresourceinformation, and lack of detail for the complex interacting component systemssuchasthewatersupply,surfacewatermanagement,groundwatermanagement,drainageandtailwaternecessaryforsustainablemanagementoftheareasunderapplication,IrecommendtheseclearingpermitapplicationsbereferredtotheEPAforfurtherassessmentunderPartIVoftheEPAct1986.Thispathwaywouldde-risktheprojectandprovidecertaintyforboththeproponentandtheState.

Thisreferral.

31/5/17 Department of Environmental Regulation finalcomment.

Notingtheaboveinformationprovidedbykeystakeholders,itisevidentthattheproposed end land use for all four applications has the potential to causesignificantenvironmentalimpacts,includingsoilerosion,surfacewaterrunoffandsedimentation, salinity and fertiliser and chemical runoff into nearby sensitivewatercourses andwetlands such as theOrdRiver Estuary,OrdRiver andParryFloodplain.Furtherinformationintheformofdetailedmanagementplansrelatingto groundwater management, surface water management, flood managementandanutrientandirrigationmanagementplanwouldberequiredtobetterinformthelanduseimpactsoftheseapplications.

Thisreferral.EnvironmentalmanagementplanswillbepreparedandsubmittedforEPAapprovalasrequired.

1/6/17 MeetingwithNTFarmers-IanBaker,GregOwens. Section3.0.2/6/17 Meeting with East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce

andIndustryPresidentandTreasurer. Section3.0.

6/6/17 Briefing to new DAFWA Regional Manager AndrewHodgsonandDistrictManagerNoelWilson.

Section3.0.

6/6/17 Interviewwith Geoff Lawrence, Emeritus professor ofagribusiness-studyonpositivesofforeign investmentinagriculture.

Section3.0.

7/6/17 KAI meeting with WA Premier Mark McGowan andMinisterforAgriculturalAlannahMacTiernan.

Section3.0.

12/6/17 KAI received DER Preliminary Assessment Report forCarltonPlain,MantineaandTarraraproposals.Refertocommentsdated31May2017(above).

Section3.0.




12/6/17 Meeting with Director General of Department ofRegional Development, and LandCorp, regarding KAIlanddevelopment.

Section3.0.

13/6/17 MeetingwithAnthonySuttonandSallyBowman,OfficeoftheEPA,regardingDERresponsetoCarlton,MantineaandTarraraclearingpermitapplications,andresultantrequirementtorefertoEPA.

Thisreferral.

21/6/17 Meeting with LandCorp Board regarding KAIdevelopments.

Section3.0.

22/6/17 Meeting withWater Corporation Board regarding KAIdevelopments.

Section3.0.

23/6/17 KAI presentation to East Kimberley Chamber ofCommerce and Industry members in Kununurra.Approximately 100 local business persons inattendance.VideorecordofpresentationsubsequentlyprovidedtoMinistersandEPAinJuly2017.

Section3.0.

28/6/17 HeritageclearancesitevisitwithTraditionalOwnersandAnthropologists. Heritage sites identified and verbalheritage clearance provided. (Note - KAI is awaitingformalreportasof19July2017).

Section10.3.1

1/7/17 East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce and Industryvideo of presentation provided to Minister forAgricultureandRegionalDevelopment,andEPA.

Section3.0.


12.0 ConclusionEnvironmentalprinciplesestablishedunderSection4Aof theEPAct1986,as listed inSection2.6,have been considered in the development of the Carlton Plain Stage 1 proposal guiding theenvironmentalassessmentprocess,asfollows:

Table17-AddressingenvironmentalprinciplesonCarltonPlain

Principle ConclusionThe precautionaryprinciple

DecadesofgovernmentsourcingofenvironmentaldataandknowledgehavebeenusedtoinformtheCarltonPlainStage1designandboundaries.Thisisparticularlyinformedby groundwater knowledge and risk (which requires further information and carefulplanning), and in relation to Ord water usage for irrigation. Future stages will beinformed by ongoing environmental assessment, andmodifiedwhere risk cannot beavoidedormitigated.Land management will be fundamentally based on the precautionary principle. Asfreeholdlandowner,KAIhasthemosttoloseiflanddegradationoccurs.

The principle ofintergenerationalequity

ThelowerOrdRiverenvironsreflectasubstantiallymodifiedsystem,asdoestheCarlton(andMantinea)Plainfollowingacenturyofagriculturalmodificationsandgrazing.KAIdoesnotanticipate,basedontheavailableenvironmentalassessmentdata–particularlyin relation to downstream impacts on Ramsar sites – that future generations’environmental quality and enjoyment will be substantially impeded by thisdevelopment.Moreover,thereisariskofreducedeconomicequityforfuturegenerationsifareasoftheKimberleywhichhavebeenearmarkedforeconomicdevelopmentformanyyearsare restricted. This particularly relates to equity for Aboriginal persons for whom‘inheritance’ by way of Native Title benefits (and employment opportunity) is longoverdue. Delays infollowingthroughonthepromiseoftheOrdFinalAgreementaredelaysinprovidingTraditionalOwnerswiththeirhard-foughtentitlements.

The principle ofthe conservationof biologicaldiversity andecologicalintegrity

Asnotedabove,theOrdsystemishighlymodified,andhasresultedinthecreationofwetlandsandaperennialriversystemwhereoncethesedidnotexist. Theproposeddevelopmentwillnotimpactsubstantiallyonbiologicaldiversityandecologicalintegrityvalues,eitheronCarltonPlainitself(adegradedenvironment)orthenearbyOrdRiver,whichhasbeenverymodifiedoverrecentdecades.Section4.0andSection7.0, inparticular,have illustrated thatthere isminimal risk topriorityfloraandfaunaspecieswithintheregion.

Principles relatingto improvedvaluation, pricingand incentivemechanisms

KAIdoesnotseekexternalsupporttomanageitsimpacts.Tailwaterreturnsystems,forexample,will be constructed at substantial additional cost. Having recently securedCarlton Plain in fee simple, KAI has factored in the costs of development andenvironmentalmanagement,andispreparedtomeettheserequirementsiftheyareonparwiththerequirementsofthenearbyOrdStage2lands.

The principle ofwasteminimisation

KAI’smanagementapproachfor its irrigatedagriculturaldevelopmentcentresaroundminimisingwaterwastage(ie,tailwater),whichhasadirectbenefittotheenvironmentintermsofabstractionimpactsanddownstreampollution.TailwaterrecyclinghasbeenfactoredintoKAI’sdevelopmentplanningandwillbeimplementedinperpetuity.


13.0 References

Bennett, D, 2016. Preliminary salinity risk assessment – Carlton Plain and Mantinea. PersonalcorrespondencetoJ.EngelkeandD.Pearce.

Braimbridge,M.,&Malseed,B.(2007).EcologicalWaterRequirementsforthelowerOrdRiver.Perth.

Commonwealth of Australia, 2009, Ord Valley AEM Interpretation Project, Geoscience Australia,Canberra.

DepartmentofConservationandLandManagement.(2003).InformationSheetonRamsarWetlands-OrdRiverFloodplain.Busselton:DepartmentofConservationandLandManagement.

DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation.(2011).YoorrooyangDawangProposedConservationParksDraftManagementPlan.Perth:DepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation.

DepartmentoftheEnvironment(2015)RamsarWetlandsofAustralia.BioregionalAssessmentSourceDataset. Viewed 29 June 2017. Available at:http://data.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/dataset/d65cc156-944d-4961-bfba-eacfd61db63a.

DepartmentofWater.(2012).Ordsurfacewaterallocationplanmethodsreport.Perth:GovernmentofWesternAustralia.

DepartmentofWater,2013,OrdSurfaceWaterAllocationPlan,DepartmentofWater,Perth.

EcoLogical, 2013, Flora and Fauna Surveys for OrdWest Bank. Unpublished report prepared forLandCorp,Perth.

Environmental Protection Authority, 2016a, Statement of Environmental Principles, Factors andObjectives. Available athttp://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/Policies_and_Guidance/Statement%20of%20Environmental%20Principles%2C%20factors%20and%20objectives_Dec16_1.pdf

EnvironmentalProtectionAuthority,2016b,EnvironmentalFactorGuideline-FloraandVegetation.Availableathttp://www.epa.wa.gov.au/policies-guidance/environmental-factor-guideline-flora-and-vegetation

EnvironmentalProtectionAuthority,2016c,EnvironmentalFactorGuideline-Landforms.Availableathttp://www.epa.wa.gov.au/policies-guidance/environm

Documents

Potential impacts, predicted outcome and mitigation · 2017. 7. 24. · development area forms part of the Ivanhoe land system, of which there is 123,900ha mapped extent (Schocknect