| Executive Summary | WNP – Air Discharge Assessment - Wharekirauponga Underground Mine -t| 4397169-66885702-23 | |5 Executive Summary Oceana Gold (New Zealand) Limited (OGNZL) operates an open cut and underground gold mining operation at Waihi in the Waikato Region. The current consented mining will cease production at the end of 2030. Ongoing exploration of the Wharekirauponga orebody, approximately 11km northwest of the mine Processing Plant, has identified mineral resources that OGNZL wishes to mine. OGNZL proposes to establish a new underground mine beneath Department of Conservation land (Coromandel Forest Park), two decline tunnels to the orebody from OGNZL land at Willows Road, an ore transport tunnel connecting with the existing Processing Plant in Waihi town and associated surface infrastructure on OGNZL land at Willows Road to enable development of the Wharekirauponga Underground Mine (WUG). These new activities will form a key element of the Waihi North Project (WNP) which will allow OGNZL to extend mining until 2038. The mine and tunnels will be developed by drilling and blasting using modern drilling jumbos, rock loading units and supporting equipment. This technical report provides an assessment of the potential effects of discharges to air from the development and operation of the mine and tunnels, including surface infrastructure, to support an Assessment of Environmental Effects (AEE) to accompany an application for resource consent to discharge contaminants to air. The discharges to air associated with the construction and operation of the mine and tunnels are a permitted activity in the Waikato Regional Plan subject to conditions. While OGNZL anticipates that the proposed activity will comply with the permitted activity conditions, for certainty and completeness OGNZL wishes to apply for an air discharge consent. Key features of the project which will be potential sources of discharges to air during construction and operation are as follows: ● Topsoil stripping and storage ● Tunnel portals ● Rock stack and clean and dirty water collection ponds ● Site access and haul roads ● Explosive magazines/emulsion storage ● Mine ventilation system and raises ● Noise earth bunds ● Package sewage treatment plant and soakaway area. ● Rehabilitation. The effects of discharges of dust and particulates from diffuse sources (such as rock stacks and topsoil stockpiles), are not easily quantifiable by modelling techniques. Therefore, this assessment of environmental effects has been based on the results of current monitoring and mitigation processes at the nearby Waihi Mine site, in accordance with the Ministry for the Environment’s “Good Practice Guide for Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry” and “Good Practice Guide for Assessing and Managing Dust”. The results of ambient air quality monitoring and the complaints history for the nearby Waihi Mine site demonstrate that any increases above background concentrations of deposited dust, total suspended particulate (TSP), fine particles (PM10) and silica, measured at sites in the vicinity of the previous and current mining operations are small and well below the relevant standards and guidelines recommended by the Ministry for the Environment. They are also within the limits set by current resource consent conditions for the Mine and permitted activity limits.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE2NDg3