Will the project lead to increased dust?
Crushing rock does generate dust so it is important that management practices to control dust emissions are incorporated into the operation of the site. These include the use of dust suppression technology on equipment used at the quarry and also the use of water suppression on roads and hardstand areas.
Will dust impact on people living in nearby Beerburrum?
Given the considerable distance to the residential dwellings towards the east, the pine plantation forest and the existing remnant vegetation corridors along the drainage features separating the proposed operation from these dwellings, the potential for dust impacts from the operation is expected to be extremely low, provided that a relatively standard practice of mitigation/management measures are adopted. Nevertheless, there are regulatory dust limits that Barro Group must be comply with.
I live near the quarry and currently I can’t see the quarry. Will I be able to see it in the future?
No. The development of the existing quarry will not be visible from any residence or public place in the Beerburrum area. It has been established that the quarry development, given the location and topographical features of the site and surrounds, including existing native vegetation, there is no potential for views of the site, other than broad undefined vistas as viewed from the Glass House Mountains Lookout. In that instance, the site is some 4.8 kilometres away and any view of the quarry would be difficult, if not impossible to pinpoint, depending on the growth cycle of the surrounding pine plantation.
Will blasting take place on the site
Blasting has occurred at Burrum Quarry in the past and is a required ongoing activity to extract the high quality trachyte. All explosives will be stored offsite and each blast duration is only a few seconds. It would be unusual to have more than 3 blasts in a month. Vibration and airblast pressure from each blast will be controlled through industry standard control measures and in compliance with local environmental and operational constraints.
Importantly, for safety reasons, no explosives will be stored on the site.
Will the project have any impact on local roads, in particular Beerburrum Road?
For the local community probably the only aspect of the development that may be noticed is that there will be an increase in trucks passing through Beerburrum from time to time. Fortunately as this route used to form part of the highway north there is already very good infrastructure in place. Barro Group engaged experienced and certified traffic engineering consultants to complete a full traffic analysis that concluded that “Although the site would necessarily result in more trucks using Beerburrum-Woodford Road and Beerburrum Road, the development traffic would not create any significant link capacity or safety concerns”.
Certified traffic engineering consultants also conducted site inspections and observed the through traffic in the vicinity of the Beerburrum State School, both out of drop-off/pick-up hours and during drop-off/pick-up hours. It was confirmed that the existing traffic infrastructure and car parking arrangements have been designed with through traffic, including trucks, in mind. It is considered that this existing infrastructure and arrangements will continue to function safely and efficiently with the additional traffic that would be generated by the proposed quarry operation.
Barro Group will implement a “Driver Code of Conduct” that will require all drivers to drive in a safe and professional manner. Non-conformance will not be tolerated.
Will trucks be able to see and stop in time for crossings and entrances to the local school?
Traffic & Transport Plus has been engaged by Barro group and at the request of Sunshine coast council to fully evaluate truck sight and stopping distances at every entrance and exit to the local school.
The full Report can be viewed here.
How will quarrying impact our waterways?
A water management strategy has been included in the Stormwater Management Plan and best water management practices will be implemented to protect downstream water quality including integrated water and erosion control devices and water treatment systems.
No adverse impacts regarding stormwater quantity and quality will arise resulting from the proposed development with the proposed stormwater structural controls and operational measures being implemented onsite in accordance with the Stormwater Management Plan.
How will you manage any flooding or runoff from the site?
Any water that runs off from disturbed areas at the quarry will first be directed to a sedimentation pond. Collected water will be reused for dust suppression and any excess water will be tested for measures such as pH and suspended solids to ensure that any water discharged meets requirements set by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection.
What measures are in place to protect the groundwater?
No groundwater has been encountered during test drilling on the site. However water control measures form an integral part of the environmental management of the site to ensure best water management practices are maintained.
Will the project lead to increased noise?
The quarry operation is well separated from the closest sensitive receivers by approximately 1.2 kilometres of pine plantation forest and the existing remnant vegetation corridors along the drainage features. The areas to the north, west and south of the proposed operation also comprise extensive areas of State forest. As such, any potential for noise impacts from the proposed operation is expected to be low. Nevertheless, the proposed operation has been designed to ensure that extraction progresses in a top-down approach, to maintain topographic buffers between the noise generating activities and surrounding areas. The purpose of retaining a high ground buffer is to maximise the degree of beneficial acoustical shielding provided to these residence. Where possible, the mobile and/or fixed crushing and screening plant will also be located to utilise the topographical acoustic shielding.
Are there koalas in the area and will they be protected?
Neither koala nor evidence of koala was sighted during the ecological consultants field assessments, and movement opportunities for this species are severely restricted by the surrounding pine plantations and the dense understory. The site has no connectivity to any koala habitat in the region.
What type of fauna exists on the site?
Fauna use of the site was found to be restricted to locally common species and evidence of ground dwelling fauna on the site was very limited. The surrounding pine plantation offers reduced habitat value to native fauna and may restrict the movement of some local fauna species to and from the site. This may in part explain the limited evidence of fauna use collected during the field survey.
What are the long term plans for rehabilitation of the project site?
Rehabilitation is a necessary component of quarry planning and development. The extraction of material will be carried out in a sequential and logical manner to promote progressive rehabilitation where practicable. As the quarry benches reach their final form, they will be shaped, stabilised and where necessary, supplementary planting substrates may be used over selected rock faces to assist in retaining soils and precipitation.
It is understood that the long term use of the site and surrounding land is intended to remain part of the forestry operations. The end use of the site will need to be determined by the State, when the termination of the lease period is known.
What is Barro Group quarrying?
The quarry will extract trachyte and sandstone. Trachyte is a rock used to produce materials for making concrete and building roads. Sandstone is a sedimentary material that will be processed and added to roadbase products used primarily for building roads.
Why should this site be quarried?
Quarry materials are essential to our way of life as they are the raw materials for building our homes, hospitals, schools and factories, as well as supporting infrastructure such as roads, railways, water supply and sewerage systems.
The extension and development of Burrum Quarry will allow Beerburrum and its surrounding region to continue to have access to locally supplied quarry materials at competitive prices for many years to come.
What will the quarrying material be used for?
The quarried products will be used to build a range of infrastructure and resources such as homes, hospitals, educational institutions, sporting facilities, shopping centres, airports, roads and railways.
What does the project involve?
The extension and development of Burrum Quarry will provide much needed quarry material to support communities in the area for many years, whilst ensuring the surrounding environment is protected and any potential impacts on the community are minimised.
A development application for the project was received by Sunshine Coast City Council on 28 November 2016 following an exhaustive environment assessment of the site and its surrounds.
The plan encompasses the following:
1. The proposed operation will initially involve the extension of the two (2) existing quarry pits on the site, and establishing associated facilities including a site office, amenities building, weighbridge and a caretaker’s accommodation.
2. Extraction will generally occur progressively from west to east on the site, using straight forward quarrying methods that are typical to the industry. Following the removal of overburden by excavator or bulldozer, quarry benches will be developed and the rock fragmented by drilling and blasting. The rock is loaded onto haul trucks and hauled to a crushing and screening plant for sizing and grading to the customers’ specification. The various products are held in stockpiles and then loaded onto road trucks for distribution to market.
3. Rehabilitation of the site will occur progressively, as the terminal benches are formed and in line with the sequence of extraction.
4. The quarry development is restricted to a small area of 23.38 hectares within the State owned pine plantation.
How different will the site look?
The quarry development will not be visible from outside of the quarry site itself and therefore there will be no change visually to that exists today. Unlike many other quarries in South East Queensland, the Burrum Quarry extension site is tucked away within a pine plantation and further screened by corridors of natural bushland. In addition the quarry void will be formed within the highest rim of the hill above the surrounding landscape.
How long has Burrum Quarry been operating?
For 40 years the State owned and operated the Burrum Quarry to support the needs of the timber industry. More recently, recognising the communities increased need for quarry materials in the area the State made a decision that it was time to better utilise Burrum Quarry.
Who is Barro Group?
Barro Group is a family owned company with almost 70 years experience supplying quality materials to the construction industry. The Group is an integrated resources, manufacturing and distribution organisation that today operates divisions throughout Australia with a commitment to supplying quality materials and products at competitive prices.