Site-specific Assessments of Environmental Effects

B-1 - Area 1, Coromandel Forest Park – Assessment of Environmental Effects 86 The Archey’s Frog Assessments conclude that the implementation of these measures will ensure that the WNP delivers a net gain for Archey’s Frog. 6.3 DEWATERING CONDITIONS The WUG and Dual Tunnels are located beneath DOC land and are in surface water catchments that are identified as ‘natural state’ in the WRP. Because of this, groundwatersurface water interaction has been very carefully considered for this project. Central to this OGNZL is proffering the following condition of consent: The activities authorised by this consent must not cause any measurable changes in the natural flows or water quality in any surface water body identified as a Natural State Water Body in the Waikato Regional Plan at the date of issue of this consent, except for those changes caused by changes in the flow of the warm spring... Hereafter this is referred to as “Condition 5”. Various technical assessments have been provided by a collective of New Zealand and international based experts which outline how this will be done using relatively standard and proven methodologies for managing dewatering in this type of activity. The proposed conditions of consent provide a clear framework for how the management measures identified by those experts will be implemented in a manner which ensures the Condition 5 will be achieved. A key element of those conditions is a requirement for OGNZL to engage, at its cost, an Expert Groundwater Management Panel (“Expert Panel”), the function of which is to review and provide recommendations to the WRC and OGNZL on dewatering matters. For the Dual Tunnel the conditions require OGNZL to control groundwater ingress in a manner which will ensure compliance with the above condition by implementing the development methodology identified as appropriate for this purpose in Valenza (2022) (see Part H of these application documents). The conditions require periodic reporting to WRC and the Expert Panel on tunnel progress, key monitoring data and the effectiveness of the grouting and other mitigation employed to manage groundwater ingress. For WUG itself important aspects of the conditions are: A requirement to prepare and implement a Council certified Baseline Data Collection Plan prior to commencing any mining, the purpose of which is to ensure: o OGNZL has sufficient knowledge of the hydrogeological system in the Wharekirauponga Catchment to manage mining operations and the associated requirement to control groundwater ingress in a manner that ensures Condition 5 is achieved; and

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