Erosion and Sediment Control Assessment Report Rev. 0 This is an uncontrolled copy if photocopied or printed from the Intranet. Copyright © 2016, SouthernSkies Environmental Ltd. All rights reserved. Page 11 of 30 Table 1: Anticipated earthworks areas. Site Area (ha) Willows Road Site (Surface Facilities Area, Willows Rock Stace, Wharekirauponga Underground Mine) 15.8 Willows Road to Baxter Road Services Corridor (4568m long, average maximum trench width 2.5m) 1.14 Gladstone Pit 18.7 Northern Rock Stack 24 Tailings Storage Facility 3 95 3. RECEIVING ENVIRONMENTS 3.1. Summary of Environments The earthworks sites are within the Ohinemuri River and Ruahorehore Stream catchments, as summarised in Table 2. The freshwater ecological characteristics of the receiving environments are described in the Freshwater Ecological Assessment prepared by Boffa Miskell1. Ohinemuri River In summary, the mid-lower reaches of the Ohinemuri River, indicators of ecological condition suggest moderate ecological values, and values increase towards the headwater areas. There is no evidence that discharges associated with mining activities at Waihi have an adverse impact on the ecological values of the Ohinemuri River, and the benthic periphyton and macroinvertebrate communities have not varied greatly over the period of monitoring. This suggests that the ecological values of the Ohinemuri in the vicinity of the Waihi mining operations have not changed. It is worth noting, that the Ohinemuri River catchment is not identified as a priority catchment or as an outstanding freshwater body (although the Waihou River at Whites Road is listed to be included as outstanding) in the RPS (section 8.2.1)2. Gladstone Wetland3 • Large (1.0 ha), high quality wetland restoration located downstream of the proposed Gladstone pit (Wetland Gladstone Pit Downstream). • Assessed as having significant ecological value based on criteria in the RPS. • Good connectivity to other wetland features in the landscape, with potentially high value habitat for Threatened/At Risk marshbirds. • Sequence of small wetland patches along the restored tributary that feeds the main wetland. 1 Freshwater Ecological Effects Assessment; 1 June 2022, prepared by Boffa Miskell 2 Ibid; Section 13.6.9. 3 Ibid; Section 9.3.2.4
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