Aphrodite surface water assessment
24 Aug 2017
Bardoc Gold is developing the Aphrodite Gold Project , a proposed gold mine in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia. The site is located 65 km north of Kalgoorlie. The Western Australia goldfields are one of Australia’s main gold producing regions.
Gold mineralisation was first discovered in the area in 1996. The project was acquired by Aphrodite Gold from Apex Minerals NL in 2009. The project was classified as a resource in 2011 and scoping studies undertaken in 2012/2013. Aphorodite Gold merged with Bardoc Gold in 2018.
Mining will be undertaken initially as an open cut pit followed possibly by underground mining. Active mining of the open pit is projected to be up to 3 years. Underground mining extends the mine life by another 3.5 years.
The project is undertaking prefeasibility and environmental impact assessment studies as part of development of the mine. These will lead into feasibility studies.
Lake Bryde Water Balance
31 Jul 2017
Lake Bryde is a high-value ecological wetland in the south west of Western Australia. The lake lies in the central wheatbelt near the town of Lake Grace, some 370 km south east of Perth. The catchment is located at the headwaters of the Lockhart River catchment which drains ultimately to the Avon River.
Lake Bryde is identified as a priority biodiversity asset. The lake bed is occupied by a threatened ecological community, dominated by Duma horrida subsp. abdita, and Tecticornia verrucosa.
Land clearing, largely since the 1960’s, has significantly altered the quantity and quality of water entering Lake Bryde with negative ramifications for the associated biodiversity values, in particular the lake bed vegetation.
The lake has been extensively studied over time. Monitoring for Lake Bryde and the broader catchment area has been undertaken by State Government organisations since 1979. A number of hydrological studies have been undertaken in the past, including the development of local and catchment-scale water balances and numerical models.
In this project, we developed a water balance model for the lake using Watbal. The Watbal model was developed originally by Adrian Peck. A version of Watbal has also been used to simulate the water and salt balance of Toolibin Lake. See our Tooliban Lake project description.
Foot Meadow hydraulic modelling
25 Jul 2017
Foot Meadow Island is located in the centre of the City of Northampton, England. It is a 620 m long island formed in the 12th century when a leat (channel) was cut from the River Nene to feed a mill. The leat forms the northeast channel around the island. The more meandering southern channel from the A4500 south is part of the original course of the river. The site of the mill lies under where Towcester Road Bridge cuts across the southern tip of Foot Meadow Island.
The river and leat have been classified under the Water Framework Directive as heavily modified and moderate status. Issues associated with water quality, weed invasion and provision of habitat for fish and invertebrates have been identified.
The River Nene Regional Park have proposed a range of remediation measures aimed at improving the instream habitat, mitigating flooding and reducing danger to the public. Key aspects of the proposal include removal of some sheet piling, regrading of parts of the river bank around Foot Meadow Island and the installation of coir rolls. Read more about the project here.
The proposed works aim to make Foot Meadow Island a safer and more environmentally friendly place. The project aims to help increase in-channel morphological diversity as well as improving floodwater capacity and reducing the risk to the public of injury or drowning. The completed works could be used as a demonstration site for other potential river habitat improvement projects, as well as an educational resource for schools and universities.
Goonyella Riverside Water Management
24 Jul 2017
Goonyella Riverside is a large coal mine in the Bowen Basin, near Moranbah in Central Queensland.
The mine is operated by the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), an alliance between BHP Billiton Ltd and Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd. Coal has been mined at the site since the 1970’s. The BMA alliance was formed in 2001. Goonyella Riverside is one of seven coal mines operated by BMA in the Bowen Basin.
The mine produces high-grade coking coal. Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, a key input for the production of steel. The coal is exported through the Hay Point Terminal at Mackay to markets in India, Japan, Europe, South Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East.
The mine is located in a sub-tropical climate zone and near a substantial river – the Isaac. Heavy rainfall and flooding associated with thunderstorms and tropical cyclones is common. However, water available to the mine for processing and dust suppression is limited and needs to be carefully conserved.
Accordingly, sound strategies for management of surface water on the site and interaction with the surrounding environment is important.
Burnie Landfill Wetland
19 Jul 2017
Burnie City Council developed a state-of-the-art treatment wetland at the Burnie Waste Management Centre, on the north coast of Tasmania. The Burnie landfill wetland is constructed on top of a rehabilitated landfill cell. Groundwater seeping from the landfill (leachate) contains elevated levels of nutrients. The leachate is treated by the wetland, improving the quality of the water to the point that it can be safely released to the surrounding environment.
The Burnie landfill wetland has a number of benefits:
- Increasing environmental flows in nearby Cooee Creek;
- Reducing movement of groundwater from the landfill to the environment;
- Maximising the capacity of site stormwater and sewer infrastructure; and
- Improving the aesthetic and biodiversity values of the landfill site.
Construction of the wetland commenced in April 2016. Planting occurred over winter 2016 and construction was completed by late 2016. More details of the project are given here.
