DauniaCoalAppendixCMineLandformAndFinalVoidManagementPlan 2009

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT
APPENDIX C
Mine Landform and Final Void
Management Plan
Document Name: Mine Landform and Final Void Management Plan
Location
Original :
Controlled hardcopies: None
Issuer
BMA Brisbane
Contributors: PW Baker & Assoc Pty Ltd; SKM Pty Ltd, BMA Coal
Distribution
Rev
1
2
3
REVISION RECORD
Reason for issue/review
Date
First Draft for review issue
March 12 2009
Second Draft for review
March 13 2009
Final
March 13 2009 reviewed by M. Vincent.
S. Ferris. B. Kirsch. S. Gosling. P Baker.
DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

Supplementary Report APPENDIX C
Mine and Final Void & Landform Management Plan
BMA Coal Operations Pty Ltd
(b)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................1
BACKGROUND ...........................................................................................................4
2.1
ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISATION................................................................5
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
Project Description ...........................................................................................4

Pre-Mining Land Suitability and Use ................................................................5
Post Mining Landuse ........................................................................................5
Climate .............................................................................................................5
Background Surface Water Quality ..................................................................6
Spoil Characteristics .........................................................................................6
Topsoil Quality & Resources ............................................................................7
Pit and Spoil Water Quality...............................................................................7
Geology ............................................................................................................8
Groundwater Resource ....................................................................................8
FINAL LANDFORM PLANNING PROGRAM............................................................10

4.1
4.2
Long Term Planning & Spoil Fit Investigations ...............................................10

Final Void Extent ............................................................................................10
4.2.1Initial Base Model................................................................................................ 10
4.2.2Mitigation Strategies ........................................................................................... 11
4.3
5
Proposed Residual Void Design Criteria ........................................................11
LONG TERM VOID WATER STORAGE AND QUALITY .........................................13

5.1
5.2
5.3
Factors Affecting Void Behaviour ...................................................................13

Previous Studies.............................................................................................13
Daunia Void Water Balance and Salinity overview.........................................16
5.3.1Modelled Void Storage and Salinity Behaviour .................................................. 16
5.3.1.1 SKM MODFLOW & Void Hydrology Modelling .............................................. 17
5.4
6
GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY OF THE RESIDUAL VOID........................................25

6.1
6.2
Introduction .....................................................................................................25
Relevant Studies ............................................................................................25
VOID CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT NATIVE FLORA & FAUNA ...............................26

7.1
7.2
Conclusions ....................................................................................................24
Scenario Dependency ....................................................................................26

Residual Void Rehabilitation Performance Criteria ........................................27
REFERENCE AND INFORMATION DOCUMENTS ..................................................28

(c)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Long Term Climate Statistics BOM Moranbah ............................................................ 5
Table 2 Average Spoil Leach Test Salinity TDS in mg/L* ........................................................ 7
Table 3 Daunia Hydraulic Parameter and Storage Coefficients............................................. 18
Table 4 Summary of the 8 Daunia Climatic and Catchment Area Cases Runs ..................... 19
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 Daunia Final Void Deep Pit Water Level Scenarios ............................................. 20
Figure 2 Daunia Final Void Shallow Pit Water Level Scenarios.......................................... 21
Figure 3 Daunia Final Void Deep Pit Salinity Behaviour ..................................................... 22
Figure 4 Daunia Final Void Shallow Pit Salinity Behaviour ................................................. 23
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 Daunia Mine Configuration At Closure initial Base Case .............................. 29
Attachment 2 Daunia Mine Conceptual Rehabilitated Landform Initial Base Case ............ 30
LINKAGE BETWEEN EPA SUBMISSION & REPORT CONTENT

Qld EPA Submission - Issue
Report
Section
Potential Impacts on Groundwater resources after mining

The EIS should provide a detailed, reasoned evidence based assessment of the potential for saline
contaminated water in the void to recharge groundwater. The EIS should detail what effects this recharge will
have on all aquifers including the alluvial aquifer.
3.8, 3.9, 5.1, 5.2,

5.3, 5.4.
Size of Proposed Final Voids

The EIS should provide more detailed information on and illustrations of, the proposed size and shape of the
final void.
4.1.4.2, 4.3 &

Attachment 2.
Mine Planning and the size of the proposed final voids

The EIS should reassess the mine plan and consider alternative ways of extracting the resource that would
leave a much smaller final void. Reasoned arguments should be presented for selecting a preferred
alternative.
2.1, 4.1.4.2,4.3
Water Levels in Final Void

The EIS should provide more details on the equilibrium water levels in the final void in relation to the
proposed final landform and illustrate the size of the residual lake during both drought and wet climatic
conditions. The EIS should assess under what conditions if ever, including under Probable Maximum
Precipitation, water in the final void would discharge to the surrounding environment. If discharge from the
final void occurs the EIS should address the potential impacts of the discharge.
5.1, 5.2, 5.3 &

5.4
Final Void Water Quality and potential impacts on water resources

The EIS should model the water quality in final voids as a prelude to providing a reasoned evidence based
assessment of the potential impacts of hyper saline water in the void on both surface and ground water
resources.
5.1, 5.2, 5.3 &

5.4
Rehabilitation of final landform and runoff into final voids

The EIS should provide details on the final landform and include figures that illustrate contours and include
cross sections at appropriate intervals.
The EIS should also provide:
Details on drainage and seepage control systems
Measures to ensure stability of the waste dumps.

4.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1

& 7.2.
(d)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Partings
Overburden strata between coal

seams
Pre-stripping
The operation to remove

overburden with truck and shovel
AHD
Australian Height Datum
AOC
Approximate Original Contour
BMA
BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance
CPP
Coal Preparation Plant
EA
Environmental Authority
Final Void
The last mining pit and remaining

ramps.
Rejects
EPA
Environmental Protection Agency
EP Act
Environmental Protection Act 1994
Residual Void A void remaining after mine site

closure.
EMPlan
Environmental Management Plan
Endwall
The lengthwise extremities of the

pit. (As opposed to the side
extremities which are the highwall
and lowwall).
FRR
Final Rehabilitation Report
Highwall
The pit wall of un-mined land
LOA
Life of Asset Mine Planning
Lowwall
The spoil placed immediately

adjacent to the pit in the previously
mined strip and can rise to crest of
a prestrip dump.

Rehabilitation Earthworks and revegetation

treatments
Coarse coal washery waste stream
(non-coal material).
RO
Runoff Coefficient
Salinity
Generally refers to the

concentration of sodium chloride &
other salts either in soil or water
Spoil
Overburden after removal to

expose the coal seam
Tailings
Fine coal washery waste.
Topsoil
The upper layer of the soil profile

removed for reuse in rehabilitation.
TWL
Top Water Level
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Daunia EIS has been submitted to the Queensland government and its Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has requested that the proponent BMA provide further information
on the treatment and performance of residual voids. These queries relate to the location
and size of the residual void, prospective rehabilitation treatments; possible interaction of
the groundwater table with the residual void; long term water levels and the potential for
outflows; and the long term salinity of the void water. EPA states that the EIS should
include a detailed reasoned evidence based assessment for the potential of saline water in
the void to recharge groundwater including the alluvial aquifer.
Thus the objective of this supplementary environmental impact study (SEIS) has been to
further examine the possible hydrological behaviour of the residual void. The potential
interaction with the regional ground water table, examine salinity behaviour and to propose
strategies for the rehabilitation of the future Daunia residual void. Areas of further research
and investigation during the mine operational period which may improve the outcomes for
final void stability and potential uses are mentioned..
The EIS document provides a series of preliminary snapshots of a feasible final landform
at various points in time. Importantly it is noted that all of the mine void created to year 15
has been completed backfilled to approximate original contour. Further, this supplementary
EIS document reports on the preliminary findings of longer term mine planning which is
developing options for reducing the residual void footprint. Preliminary results indicate that
a reduced footprint of up to 75% of the base case footprint reported for year 21 in the main
EIS document can be achieved.
The treatment of final voids and the final configuration of highwalls and endwalls is an area
of considerable interest and largely unresolved from an industry viewpoint. Many open cut
coal mine operators intend to use a fence and bund scenario and EPA has approved this
via Environmental and Integrated Environmental Authorities for many years.
Notwithstanding this, the EPA via its policy determinations (such as Guideline18) indicates
a reluctance to accept relinquishment of mine leases which include voids that are left in an
unsafe, unstable or unsustainable configuration. The proposed Daunia Mine conceptual
residual void includes considerable regrading to slopes of 17% percent or less, followed by
traditional topsoil and revegetation treatments above expected water level. This proposed
treatment for the Daunia residual void is substantially more conservative compared to
typical EPA void compliance conditions as stipulated in many Environmental Authorities for
open cut mines in Queensland.
Once commissioned the Daunia Mine should remain an operational project well into the
foreseeable future and the final configuration of the mine will ultimately depend on demand
for coal and other factors. However, in line with its commitments for reducing the footprint of
final voids, BMA will seek to infill voids with spoil, reject and tailings waste to the maximum
extent practicable. Nonetheless at mine closure a void will remain and it is likely that mine
planning revisions which are routinely carried out during the life of any open cut coal mining
operation still will result in changes to the final void position, size and configuration. This is
a normal situation with large opencut mine operations.
Daunia is not a developed mine, thus provision of quite specific geotechnical assessment
and hydrological performance of the residual voids will not be feasible for many years.
Accordingly, much of the following information contained in this supplementary report is
necessarily conceptual, however, where possible pertinent site data has been used. Further
for the purpose of predicting salinity levels and standing water levels in the residual void,
quite conservative assumptions have been made.
This investigation includes contributions by Sinclair Knight Pty Ltd (SKM) and PW Baker &
Associates Pty Ltd and has where appropriate drawn on the findings of several residual
void investigations that BMA has completed and submitted to the EPA in mid 2008 as well
as the results of earlier studies sponsored by BHP in the early to mid 1990s. Further as
indicated above, BMA mine planning have provided initial results for reduced void footprint
based on recently commenced LOA plan revisions.
SKM have used MODFLOW Groundwater model to provide groundwater
contributions/behaviour and have developed an excel spreadsheet to integrate groundwater
and surface water contributions to provide conceptual void water level and salinity
outcomes. Initially the EIS conceptual void configuration was utilized as a base model with
alternative scenarios then modelled to examine the prospects of quite different hydrological
and salinity outcomes. Modelling by SKM and others show that it is possible to improve
void salinity outcomes.
Overall, the modelling undertaken by SKM demonstrates that the projected Daunia
regraded final void has very little potential to fill and spill, unless unusually large spoil areas
report to the void. Nonetheless, with a regraded void situation the void itself becomes a
considerable catchment with the potential to store large quantities of water. As with the
findings of several other mine void studies undertaken in the Bowen Basin, increased
salinity through time in the final void is likely unless strategies are implemented which
modify the relationship between the regional water table and the mine void and its
contributing catchments.
These strategies which have been discussed in this supplementary EIS report include the
possibility of using greater backfill amounts to raise the predicted standing water level of the
void above the regional water table level such that the groundwater gradient is reversed.
This may also involve increasing or perhaps decreasing the catchment area above the void
to ensure that the long term water level and quality meets the performance requirement.
During the operational phase BMA Daunia is committed to undertake further investigation in
support of firming up residual void stability, hydrological behaviour and void rehabilitation
strategies. These studies/investigations include:
1.
More detailed hydrological and geochemical research aimed at more accurately

predicting long term void water levels and mechanisms that may be used to enable
the void to self regulate its salinity and not adversely impact on useful groundwater
reserves.
2.
Groundwater investigation aimed primarily at understanding the behaviour of the

regime in particular reference to the likely final position and configuration of the final
void so that the voids potential to depress or recharge groundwater is more fully
understood and that the refined hydrological model accounts for groundwater
movements more comprehensively in determining long term storage and salinity
levels.
3.
Ongoing spoil characterisation to determine the characteristics of spoil

emplacements surrounding residual voids as well as physical measurements of spoil
runoff and leachate to refine the void salinity balance.

4.
Durable rock identification to ensure that sufficient material is available to for rock
mulching steep long slopes into voids in the event that improved outcomes for
landform stability, void hydrology and salinity are indicated.
5.
Further investigation into erosion mitigation on long slopes which will be formed
when highwalls and lowwalls are subjected to substantial regrade treatments.
6.
Active liaison with the EPA so that the Regulator can understand the complex nature
of the final void issues and provide more strategic advice on its requirements for the
rehabilitation outcome for large residual voids in Central Queensland. This will assist
BMA as it develops strategies for mine closure which are consistent with the
Regulators long term view and requirements.
7.
The process of refining rehabilitation methods for spoil areas, including residual
voids and developing appropriate land use goals for land disturbed by mining is an
ongoing one as mining technology develops and mine plans change. Accordingly, in
the future, the treatments proposed for residual voids may change. Nonetheless,
BMA is committed to stable and sustainable outcomes for the Daunia residual void.
The desired outcome for the Daunia residual voids is that a stable landform eventuates and
that costs/liabilities to BMA are tolerable at closure. The final void and its configuration and
its performance characteristics will be progressively refined during the operational life of the
Daunia mine.

2 BACKGROUND
2.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
EIS Section 3 Project Description provides a detailed description of the project. In summary
however, the Project will be an open cut coal mine using a conventional excavator and
truck fleet. Construction is expected to commence in 2009, with first coal in 2010.
Exhaustion of the deposit is projected at approximately 21 years after mining commences.
i.e. 2031.
The relatively shallow depth of cover makes the Daunia deposit ideal for open cut mining.
The majority of the deposit is to be mined in a two seam operation of the Leichhardt and
Upper Vermont Seams. The complex structural setting of the deposit is associated with
faults with throw greater than 5 m, which has allowed the deposit to be divided into a series
of mining areas or pits based on faulted blocks. These pits define the direction of mining
so that, to the extent possible, and consistent with reasonable mining practice, the mine
advances parallel to the strike of the faulting. This approach of defining pits has been used
to develop a mining strip layout suitable for truck and excavator mining. This method is
typically based on 100 m wide mining strip
Design parameters adopted for mine planning include:
100 m wide mining strips, nominally 500 m in length;

out of pit spoil dump external face slopes of 1 (vertical) : 10 (horizontal), or 10%;
out of pit spoil dump benches of 10 m width at 10 m intervals (lifts).
The depth to the top of the Leichhardt coal seam varies between about 40 m and 80 m
across the deposit. Interburden between the Leichhardt and Upper Vermont seams result in
a maximum pit depth of approximately 120 m to access the Upper Vermont seam, which is
the limit of economic coal.
Two box cut areas are planned (each along the eastern boundary of the resource). Spoil
will be carted to in pit and out of pit dumps. The dumps will be progressively shaped to
their final landform based on a maximum overall slope from dump crest to dump toe of 10
per cent. The dumps will be topsoiled and revegetated either to native bushland or pasture.
At the completion of mining, voids will either be completely backfilled or rehabilitated with 1
in 6 (17 per cent) slopes and drainage protection, with rock armouring applied where
required. The base of the rehabilitated final voids in the south will slope down to a
maximum depth of 100 m below the existing surface level. Other voids will be either
progressively backfilled or backfilled at when mining operations stop.
The proposed post-mine land use for disturbed areas is a mosaic of self sustaining
vegetation communities and grazing land using appropriate native tree, shrub and grass
species, and improved pasture species as appropriate. Local plant species will be included
in the seed mix so as to restore elements of the pre-mining communities to the rehabilitated
assemblages. Note that the description of residual void treatment is superseded by the
discussion and findings in this further submission to the EPA.

3 ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISATION
3.1 PRE-MINING LAND SUITABILITY AND USE
Details for pre-mining land use and soils within mine lease areas have been described in
the Daunia EIS. Land within all of the Daunia project area has been used for beef cattle
grazing for many years. The area is under extensive buffel with some areas under native
grass cover.
3.2 POST MINING LANDUSE

The current EIS preliminary mine plan shows that a residual void of approximately 390
hectares will be present by projected closure in 2031. Final use of the void area is
proposed as bushland/pasture, whilst beneficial use of the void water will be dependent on
the actual treatment imposed on the residual void. Note that this submission includes
amended advice on final void treatments, configuration and sizing, following further
considerations by BMA and its consultants in which the results of preliminary LOA planning
show that it may be feasible to reduce this void footprint to less than 100 ha.
3.3 CLIMATE
The EIS provides a detailed description of the regional climate. The Daunia project is
located in the warm subtropics. The area exhibits moderate rainfall and high evaporation
rates. The area experiences hot summers and warm winters with an average daily maxima
of 33.8oC in December and 23.6oC in July. Rainfall is highly variable between and within
seasons. Most rainfall (approx. 70%) occurs as intense storms and cyclonic rain in summer
(December to March).
Overall, the annual rainfall is highly variable and droughts are common. As rainfall is
generally concentrated in the cyclone season, temporary water surpluses can occur
although evaporation rates are much higher than rainfall. Long term averaged monthly and
annual precipitation and evaporation is shown below in Table 1.
Table 1 Long Term Climate Statistics BOM Moranbah
Temperature
O
C
Relative
Humidity %
Evap
(mm)
Wind
Speed
Km/Hr
Average
Min
Average
Max
9am
3pm
DAILY
3pm
Median
Highest
Daily
Highest
Monthly
Jan
22.0
34.2
69
41
8.5
8.5
66.6
120.4
315.0
Feb
21.8
33.2
73
46
7.7
9.6
85.8
150.8
316.2
Mar
20.1
32.3
70
41
7.2
9.5
34.6
164.8
268.0
Apr
17.6
29.5
73
44
5.8
8.8
25.2
143.8
271.0
May
14.4
26.4
73
45
4.3
6.8
27.6
58.0
196.6
Jun
11.0
23.7
72
43
3.6
6.3
9.4
38.8
55.3
Jul
9.7
23.6
69
39
3.8
6.8
5.9
60.0
103.6
Aug
11.1
25.2
66
36
4.9
7.7
12.5
150.8
247.3
Sep
13.9
29.4
57
28
6.7
9.0
3.8
20.4
39.4
Oct
17.6
32.2
59
31
8.0
8.6
15.8
73.8
146.6
Month

Rainfall (mm)
Month
Temperature
O
C
Relative
Humidity %
Evap
(mm)
Wind
Speed
Km/Hr
Nov
19.5
33.0
61
35
8.6
8.8
69.4
85.6
220.3
Dec
21.1
33.8
65
40
8.7
8.5
82.6
116.6
318.2
Annual Av.
16.7
29.7
67
39
2,366
8.2
583.6
164.8
208.1
Rainfall (mm)
High rainfall events are common hence surface runoff can be substantial. Average
evaporation exceeds average rainfall 12 months of the year and the evaporation average is
about 4 times the annual rainfall. The long term average annual rainfall is 583.6mm falling
on an average of 55 rain days. Evaporation rates are high through the year, particularly so
in the summer period. Annual evaporation is 2366mm. (Moranbah weather station), thus
evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation, hence water stress is expected to be significant
factor in the performance of future rehabilitation of disturbed land, particularly on slopes or
where topsoil thickness is limited and the under lying spoil may be compacted.
The above EIS climate information indicates that evaporative losses from the residual
Daunia void will be high and function as one of the prime determinants in establishing the
long term water level.
3.4 BACKGROUND SURFACE WATER QUALITY

Refer to the Daunia EIS Section 6, Surface Water Resources for details, but in summary;
The mining areas are drained by two unnamed drainage paths. The unnamed drainage
paths were named Daunia and Daunia East for the purposes of the EIS assessment. The
two unnamed drainage paths are ephemeral and drain to the Isaac River.
The infrastructure area is drained by New Chum Creek. New Chum Creek flows south-west
to its discharge point into the Isaac River. Few water samples measurements have been
taken to date, but overall waters arising from the site have low salinity, less than 200uS/cm
Refer to EIS Table 6-15 Water Quality results from the field investigation. Low salinity is
reflective of the low salinity soils of the area.
3.5 SPOIL CHARACTERISTICS

The chemical and physical characterisation of spoil surrounding and residual void will have
a marked influence on residual void stability and water quality. The EIS document provides
comprehensive information on overburden collected and analysed as part of the exploration
program.
The Daunia EIS Appendix G Mineral Waste reports that Paste EC has been determined for
a range of overburden and interburden samples at Daunia the number of tests (199) and
site coverage is impressive.
Overall the paste pHs are quite low as shown from data taken from EIS Appendices
Mineral waste Table G5.
Min
Median
Mean
Max
51 us/cm.
739 us/cm
803 uS/cm
2, 520 us/cm with a desirable range reported as <4000us/cm

EC1:5 can be estimated from paste EC and is dependent on soil/spoil texture. Assuming
the Daunia spoil will on average prove to form a light sandy clay a conversion factor of 10 is
appropriate. This indicates that the spoils are NON SALINE this is fairly unusual for the
Bowen Basin, particularly the Tertiary spoil. At Daunia it is very likely that the electrical
conductivity {EC (1:5)} of spoil mass will be in the range in range of 5 252 us/cm. Sodicity
is also generally much lower than typical suites of Bowen Basin spoils. The geochemical
test results in the EIS show that from 199 samples of overburden collected and analyzed
that:
Min ESP
Median ESP
Mean ESP
Max ESP
2%
11%
12%
46%.
The analysis indicates only moderate ESP for the bulk of the spoil mass. Small volumes of
high to very high ESP spoil should be covered with low to moderate ESP spoil as part of the
landform development / spoil placement program.
From a fertility view point, the overburden testing shows that cation exchange capacity is
moderate to high, that Ca: Mg ratios are favorable, but that alkalinity is generally quite high
which will predispose the media to favour pastures rather than native eucalypt tree and
shrub species which generally prefer a slightly acid environment. Although some of the
black clay soil species such as Dawson Gum and Mountain Coolibah may be suitable.
3.6 TOPSOIL QUALITY & RESOURCES

The soil survey lab results also show that the Daunia soils are reasonably fertile, well
structured and largely non saline. Typical surface salinity of useable soil is in range 70
200uS/cm. Refer to EIS Appendix F8.1 Soil Survey.
As part of the Daunia EIS, topsoil resources have been assessed for soil type, pre-mining
land suitability and stripping depths formulated. All topsoil in advance of mining will be
stripped to recommended depths and either stockpiled or replaced over rehabilitation. Good
quality low salinity topsoil used in rehabilitation is conducive to low salinity surface runoff.
3.7 PIT AND SPOIL WATER QUALITY

There is insufficient information to accurately predict spoil runoff and seepage qualities for
the purpose of predictive void modelling. However, the comprehensive geochemical
analyses undertaken at Daunia as part of the EIS submission clearly as discussed above
indicates that low, not high salinities are expected from spoil runoff and rehabilitated areas.
Saline ranges are variable in the Bowen Basin as indicated in the following leach test data
which has been extracted to Table 2 from ACARP Project No. C7007 Water Quality and
Discharge Predictions for Final Void and Spoil Catchments.
Table 2 Average Spoil Leach Test Salinity TDS in mg/L*
Norwich
Gregory
Blackwater
Moura
Saraji
Goonyella
Park
404
539
328
250
502
976
Peak
Downs
168
*Extracted from ACARP Project No. C7007: TABLE 7.2 Summary of Spoil Leach Test Results at Participating Sites;

The leach tests show that spoil leachate is highly variable across the Bowen Basin, but that
some spoils can express quite low salinity. As the Daunia mine operation has yet to be
developed, there is no monitoring data on spoil runoff quality; however, Daunia spoil salinity
should be reflective of the low salinity measured in overburden sampling. Further, the pH of
almost all samples are strongly alkaline with a mean and median pH of 8.4 as reported in
EIS Appendix G. Given these results, it is reasonable to conclude that surface runoff from
spoil areas will be alkaline and have quite low salinity. It follows that pit water accumulating
from surface runoff and spoil seepage generated from spoil is expected also be reflective of
these characteristics, at least in the short term. Refer to Section 5 which discusses longer
term void salinity balance.
3.8 GEOLOGY
The Daunia EIS Section 7.1.2 Geology and Hydrogeology reports that the Project Site is
located in the northern part of the Bowen Basin containing principally fluvial and some
marine sediments. The Project Site lies near the western boundary of a sedimentary
trough known as the Taroom Trough, which was filled by a thick accumulation of mainly
terrestrial sediments during the Permo-Triassic period.
The Project Site occurs within a shallow basin structure immediately east of the New Chum
Fault, which separates Daunia from the Poitrel deposit to the west. The New Chum Fault
may influence groundwater levels and flow directions. However, it is reasonable to assume
that there is some hydraulic continuity between the coal seam aquifers across the deposits
and that the groundwater levels and flow directions beneath Daunia are similar to Poitrel.
The coal deposits are contained in the Late Permian, Rangal Coal Measures (also known
as the Blackwater Group), which are approximately 100m thick. The Rangal Coal Measures
are underlain by the Fort Cooper Coal Measures and overlain by the Late Permian to Early
Triassic Rewan Group.
The transition between the Rewan Group and the Rangal Coal Measures is difficult to
define and is often based on a change in colour, from green-grey of the Rewan sandstones
to blue-grey of the Rangal sandstones. Given the similar geological and hydrogeological
properties of the Rewan Group and the Rangal Coal Measures, these formations have
been grouped together for the purpose of this assessment. In the southern half of the
Project Site, Quaternary aged Alluvium overlies the Permo-Triassic sediments.
The Daunia deposit contains two coal seams of economic interest, the Leichhardt Seam
and Upper Vermont Seams of the Rangal Coal Measures. The Leichhardt Seam (DL1) is
typically 5 m thick and has a lower split (DL0) about 0.5 m thick located approximately 1 m
below DL1. The Upper Vermont Seam (DV4), located 10 m to 35 m below the Leichhardt
Seam, is typically 3.5 m thick and splits to the north into upper and lower plies (DV2 and
DV1 respectively) with up to 30 m of interburden.
3.9 GROUNDWATER RESOURCE

A detailed groundwater investigation based on monitoring water levels and qualities has not
been undertaken for this EIS. However, a series of groundwater monitoring bores are
being installed at the Daunia project at time of this report preparation. These bores will
monitored in a routine basis and will enable BMA to more comprehensively determine the
extent and character of groundwater resources at the Daunia mine project and enable the
continual refinement of the groundwater model for the Daunia mine.
However, in the interim groundwater characteristics of the adjacent BMA Poitrel Mine are of
use in developing a conceptual understanding of the Daunia situation. Groundwater studies
were completed for the adjacent Poitrel mining leases as part of the BMA Poitrel EIS in
2004.
The Daunia Project EIS presents groundwater quality data available from four bores used
to collect data for the adjacent Poitrel EIS in 2004. The salinity (measured as total
dissolved solids) of groundwater in these bores ranges from 4,000 to 8,000 mg/L. This
correlates to an electrical conductivity (EC) of approximately 7,000 to 14,000 uS/cm. Since
the Project EIS was prepared, further background data has been analysed from operational
Poitrel groundwater monitoring bores that will be incorporated into the Project groundwater
monitoring network. Groundwater salinity from the Obs 1 bore (see EIS Appendix B for
details on location) ranged from 3,160 to 5,800 uS/cm during monthly sampling events from
February 2008 through to January 2009. There is a high degree of variability in
groundwater quality variability in the region. However, a conservative value has been
adopted for the preliminary Daunia final void modelling of 15,000 uS/cm.
The Daunia EIS section 7.2.2.2 Groundwater Quality Post Mining reports that the
rehabilitated final void will collect and accumulate water only from groundwater ingress,
direct rainfall into the void, and from overland surface flows from those slopes of the waste
dump draining into the void. All other surface flows within the vicinity of the rehabilitated
final void will be diverted around the void. In general, as a consequence of evaporation, the
salinity level of the water in the rehabilitated final void is expected to rise over time. There
could also be issues associated with oxidation of the coal seams and potential changes to
the groundwater chemistry, however any impacts are likely to be localised in the vicinity of
the rehabilitated final void.
As indicated, this supplementary study discusses at a conceptual level how strategies might
be implemented which change the salinity and hydrological status of the residual void.

10
4 FINAL LANDFORM PLANNING PROGRAM

4.1 LONG TERM PLANNING & SPOIL FIT INVESTIGATIONS
The greatest single challenge for provision of progressive rehabilitation into the future
involves effective planning of prestrip operations and spoil placement. This is well
recognised by BMA and all of its operations are conducting substantial investigations
involving spoil fit, final landform and residual void treatment. Mine planning is an ongoing
process and is progressively refined during the life of the operation. Changes in technology,
operational costs and product demand require revisions to the mine plan, including the final
landform plan.
Long term mine feasibility planning for the Daunia project suggests that truck and shovel
will be the primary method for creating the final rehabilitation surface. The final landform
concept illustrated as Figure 3.1 in the EIS project description represents an outcome which
has resulted from the initial mine plan schedule. Mine planning and scheduling
has focussed on the first 5-10 years of mining (all in the North), with only preliminary longterm planning having been completed for the Southern Pits
The planning which has been completed for the first 10 years shows that considerable void
backfill is undertaken. For that matter, work to date shows that all of the final void created in
the first 15 years can be eliminated by progressive backfill. However, planning for the latter
years has yet to be optimized. Nonetheless, BMA recognises that the size and extent of the
final void can be reduced by cost effective spoil placement programs in the latter years of
the mine life and as already indicated, all BMA operations are currently in the process of
developing spoil placement strategies which are aimed at cost effective reduction of the
final void foot print. This is an extremely complex and time consuming task which
commenced some two years ago and studies to date show that there are cost and
environmental advantages available when final voids are progressively backfilled during
operation. Mine planning for the Daunia Project is now also developing optimised longer
term mine plans which aim to reduce the final void footprint.
4.2 FINAL VOID EXTENT

4.2.1
Initial Base Model
The initial final void base case is depicted in the EIS S3.1 Project description. As indicated
above this void is reflective of the base mine plan which assumes that mining ceases at
year 21. Prior to year 15, mine planners have made a great effort in scheduling operations
to backfill almost all of the mine void to approximate original contour. However mitigation
strategies are not complete for the residual void beyond this time. The base case void
without mitigation in later years as outlined in the EIS document is approximately 9
kilometres long. For the purpose of showing the conceptual rehabilitation treatment, a
1V:6H grade has been imposed on all sides of the void.

11
4.2.2
Mitigation Strategies
As previously discussed, optimization of the LOA mine plan is in the very early stages of
development, thus providing an accurate final landform plan in the immediate future is not
practicable. However, preliminary results indicate that the final residual void footprint can be
reduced by up to 75% of the initial final void base case. Such reduction will reduce the
residual void footprint from the base case 390ha back to approximately 100 ha. This work is
of a complex and time consuming nature. BMA practice is to review final landform
objectives and proposed outcomes annually as part of the its LOA monitoring and planning
process or in those situations where a material change to the mine plan is required.
BMA will commit to providing the EPA with a conceptual final mine plan which will show that
as much as 50% of the residual void will have been backfilled by cessation of mining. The
void may be reduced further to 75% filled when the LOA process has been refined. As to
whether the backfill will focus in the east or west residual void or parts of each will be
determined as a consequence of the LOA planning and optimization work. This is underway
but cannot reasonably be provided as part of this supplementary EIS submission, given the
lengthy time which is required to accurately determine the final void extent and location
through detailed mine planning.
4.3 PROPOSED RESIDUAL VOID DESIGN CRITERIA

BMA is committed to undertaking substantial treatments of residual voids at its proposed
Daunia Mine to ensure that such areas are safe, stable and sustainable after cessation of
operations.
In 2007 BMA Coal and its consultants commenced development of a set of generic design
criteria to assist its sites with the development of stable landforms. Guideline for the
Design of Sustainable Mine Landforms. See Appendix J of the Daunia SEIS. This
landform guideline has been developed to help BMA mines implement closure planning
processes aimed at the achievement of sustainable rehabilitated landforms on a cost
effective basis.
The guideline acknowledges that rehabilitation of mine disturbed land is not simply an
environmental task. The work is of a complex and expensive nature and satisfactory
outcomes can only be available if closure planning is embraced at the corporate, site
management and operational levels.
The BMA Sustainable Landform Guideline requires that planning, design and scheduling of
excavation and spoil placement should be aligned with a mine closure plan so that cost
effective practices can be implemented during the operational phase of mining with a goal
of substantially reduced rehabilitation expenditures at closure. This is the essential basis of
BMA closure / rehabilitation requirements.
These guidelines will be implemented for the Daunia Mining Operation and were used as
basis for initial long-term mine planning and short term design. The guideline provides a
framework for ensuring that the mining and spoil placement program is aligned with the
agreed final landform concept. It covers a range of issues which are pertinent to this
objective including:
Embedding closure / landform requirements into the responsibilities and

accountabilities of all senior personnel. This is necessary as the ability of mines to

12
implement satisfactory closure planning and implementation processes will

necessarily impact on the business and its long term viability.
Outlining preferred strategies / practices for improved spoil placement and reduction
of void volume by closure, hence progressive backfill when practicable is
encouraged.
Describing various treatments which could be used to better stabilize spoil

placement and in particular recognition that long Tertiary spoil slopes are
exceedingly difficult to stabilize without rock mulching.
The guideline also discusses rehabilitation resource inventory programs; given that
rock mulching is seen to be an important aspect of stabilizing steep slopes.
Knowledge of the available resource and routine salvage during stripping /
excavation operations will be necessary.
The BMA Guideline for the Design of Sustainable Mine Landforms focuses on progressive
backfilling of ramps and final voids during operations to improve spoil fit and reduce haul
costs as well as minimise the amount of open void at cessation of mining. The guideline
requires annual updating to ensure that improvements in outcomes from operational
experiences and learnings are retained.
Mine planners have been charged with the task of redeveloping mine schedules showing
how the mining operation can optimize the backfill of final voids, minimize lengths of
residual highwalls, during operations and satisfy progressive rehabilitation requirements.
It should be noted that the guideline is evolutionary and improvements will be made from
time to time. Currently the guideline is focussed more at placement of spoil materials to
meet final landform objectives, but in the future may address surface finish and drainage
issues.
Elements of the guideline have already been utilized for proposing the Daunia landform
treatments as follows:
1. Conventional fence and bunding treatments of the final void have been discounted
because risk assessment indicates that the walls may not be sustainable in the very
long term.
2. Detailed LOA planning work is underway aimed at optimizing the backfill of Daunia
voids. Preliminary investigations indicate that the original base case void footprint
provided in the main EIS document can now be reduced by up to 75% in aerial
extent.
3. A void regrade option with topsoil treatment has been identified as the preferred
treatment for the residual void. The entire void will be regraded to 1:6 slopes or
flatter as may be required to ensure that erosionally stable outcomes are achieved. .
4. A steeper regrade may be considered if thereby a more sustainable outcome is
possible using competent rock much. This requires that sufficient reserves of
durable rock are identified and set aside during the mine operational life.
5. Outer slopes of the rehabilitation have been limited to 10% grade.

13
5 LONG TERM VOID WATER STORAGE AND QUALITY

5.1 FACTORS AFFECTING VOID BEHAVIOUR
The long term quality and quantity of water stored in residual voids is dependent on a
number of variables including:
1. Climate particularly rainfall and evaporation.
2. Catchment areas reporting to the void
3. Extent of void regrade regrading voids can substantially increase catchment area.
4. Topographical configuration of the final void and surrounding catchment spoil areas.
5. Effectiveness of rehabilitation in reducing surface and subsurface runoff into the
voids.
6. Rapidity of solubilisation of salts being transported by both surface and subsurface
drainage to the voids.
7. Remaining amount of process and other water affected by the mine workings
pumped into the voids.
8. The salinity and potentials of the void floor material.
9. The depth and manner of
rehabilitated/backfilled void floor.
isolation
of
the
coal
seams
below
the
10. Presence of groundwater inflows and outflows from the voids.
5.2 PREVIOUS STUDIES

Predictive void investigations in Central Queensland have been undertaken from time to
time since the mid 1990s. The first major investigation was sponsored by BHP Coal Pty
Ltd in which PPK consultants (now Parsons Brinkerhoff) prepared a Spoil Hydrology
Lumped Parameter Model (SHLPM) for a number of voids at the BHP Coal operations
(Now BMA). A daily water balance model was developed in an attempt to assess the longterm hydrological responses of final spoil-void systems in the Bowen Basin. The SHLP
Model was designed for situations where containment of water reporting to the final void is
required. (0.6 RO above water level and Pan Factor of 0.7 for low water level to 1.0 for
high-water level.
For the typical void scenario, the PPK modelling indicated that idealised voids would reach
a steady state depth in about 40 years post closure. Work by P. Baker in 2003 using
OPSIM modelling at Oaky Creek Mine also demonstrated that voids have no potential to
spill and are effectively dry most of the time when the catchment area to void area is
typically 4:1 or less and where groundwater ingress is minimal. Much greater surface area
to void ratios are required to cause a void spill situation.
Whilst it is recognised that in the absence of significant elevated groundwater table, there is
little likelihood of typical deep steep sided mining voids storing large quantities of water on a
permanent basis, it is conceivable that voids which have large catchment areas and or

14
which have been substantially regraded may have potential to spill in some circumstances.
Thus the potential for rehabilitated voids to spill has been examined by SKM.
A long-term concern for residual voids in arid and semi arid areas is the potential for water
to become hyper-saline and perhaps seep into surrounding water tables. This has been
recognised for many years. For example, ACARP Project No. C7007 (Water Quality and
Discharge Predictions for Final Void and Spoil Catchments) made a number of general /
primary findings following completion of their field studies and void water quality modelling.
In particular (S7.3 conceptual model of mine water flow) states that:
1. There is a correlation between TSS and TDS, thus water quality in final void will be
reflective to some extent of the TSS of surface runoff.
2. In many situations most of the void water is derived by surface runoff.
3. The influence of subsurface flow through spoils might be limited because of low flow
volumes moving thru the spoil.
4. Preferred pathways may exist which may cause rapid movement of seepage water
e.g. along the base of the spoil piles. But preferred pathways may block over time.
5. Direct rainfall to the void introduces low concentration water.
6. Evaporation has the opposite effect.
7. A stable system with no salt build up will occur if groundwater inflows flows are
greater than evaporation.
8. In a closed system, the water accumulating in the void could come from any of the
sources or paths described (groundwater/seepage/preferred pathways/incident
rain/surface runoff) but can only leave by evaporation. The water level is maintained
by evaporation and evaporation causes continuous deterioration of water quality
due to salinity build up.
Gilbert and Associates Pty Ltd conducted computer simulations for final void hydrological
assessments in various final configurations at 6 BMA operated mines in the Bowen Basin
region of central Queensland in 2008. Final configurations included: Fence and Bund, 25%
batter regrade and 10% batter regrade.
The simulations included inputs of historical rainfall and evaporation data for the region,
information on salt concentrations and information on the geology, mining spoil and
groundwater conditions provided in various reports supplied to Gilbert & Associates by PW
Baker and Assoc. Pty Ltd. The consultants utilized a version of the Australian Water
Balance Model (AWBM) developed by Boughton, W.C. (2004), to estimate the amount of
surface water runoff entering pit voids using rainfall data, evaporation data and information
on the behaviour of various catchment types contributing water to the voids.
Seep/W was used to determine likely groundwater entry to and exits from the voids using
information supplied regarding the local geology and groundwater conditions, so far as this
information could be ascertained. Seep/W used the provided information together with
information entered regarding water pressure or flow rates at the boundaries of the model
to compute flow rates of water across flux lines also drawn in the graphical representation.
These flux lines were positioned to measure the rate water entered or left the pit void, as
well as the rate water travelled into the pit from expected salt sources such as coal seams.

15
Seep/W uses a finite element method to solve the Darcys equations of motion for water
through porous media. The model type used in our analysis was a steady state, which
computes the rate water would flux through the system once the systems is allowed to
settle long term towards the modelled conditions. The flow rates were measured for pit void
water set at a variety of depths from empty to full.
The Consultants then applied Goldsim software to model the combined effects of surface
and groundwater on the depth and salinity levels of void water following the various
remediation scenarios considered.
As a result of these BMA void studies a number of findings common to all mines
investigated became apparent. These common findings on void behaviour are strategy
dependent and include:
Gilberts modelling at all sites found that: all void configurations have high a containment
safety factor even when contributing catchment areas are raised by allowing runoff from an
additional 500m wide strip of undisturbed catchment adjacent to the void. However in the
long term hyper saline water is expected in all instances unless the storage is raised above
the groundwater table. Typical results for the three basic void treatment scenarios were as
follows:
Fence and Bund - The simulated water levels in the voids reached equilibrium
levels after a period of approximately 10 - 20 years and then fluctuated in response
to climatic variability.
Long term model predictions were for ongoing net
groundwater inflows and, as a consequence, salt concentrations as measured by
electrical conductivity (EC) units continued to increase slowly throughout the
simulation to eventually reach hyper saline levels.
The prolonged increase of salt concentration is due to predicted ongoing net inflows
of saline and highly saline groundwater. The void in this situation acts as a
groundwater sink. Water is removed due to evaporation and the water surface does
not reach a level sufficient to flush dissolved salt back to the underlying aquifer.
25% Regrade Option. The simulated final water levels in the void stabilise to
equilibrium very quickly (within 2 to 5 years) and fluctuates about the equilibrium
from then on. Net exchange of salt to and from the void stabilised, but salt
concentrations in the void fluctuated due to changes in water volume over time The
simulated salt concentrations reached for the 25% regraded void configuration
option are typically very high (50,000 to 300,000 S/cm) and often exceed those for
the Fence and Bund situation, however, salt concentration in void stabilise over time
as salt eventually enters and leaves the void at similar rates.
10% Regrade Option. The simulated final water levels in the void stabilise to
equilibrium very quickly (within 2 to 5 years). Net exchange of salt to and from the
void also stabilised but salt concentrations in the void fluctuated due to changes in
water volume over time. Importantly concentrations under this scenario are
significantly lower than either the Fence and Bund treatment or 25% Regrade
options due to transfer of water from the void to the groundwater table.
However, for all sites the modelled a limiting case of no transfers between the void
and groundwater sources for the 10% regrade situation. This model allows only
surface water runoff from the connected catchment (including spoil) and direct
rainfall to enter the pit. That is water leaves only through evaporation and spills.
Simulation results from the modelling indicated no spill events (seepage to
16
groundwater) occurred and, as expected, salt concentrations in the void continued

to increase throughout the simulations. Thus complete isolation of the void from
groundwater transfer would likely produce an evaporation pan where salt levels
continue to increase at a consistent rate until real world physical constrains limit the
process.
5.3 DAUNIA VOID WATER BALANCE AND SALINITY OVERVIEW

As previously indicated the actual size and extent of the Daunia final void cannot be
predicted with confidence until Life of Asset Planning (LOA) has been completed, even
then, changes in demand, economics and technology have potential to impact the LOA plan
and result in change to the location and size of the residual void as well as the extent of
important contributing catchments. This is consistent with the approach taken at all of
BMAs operational mines. Nonetheless, the following generalisations regarding void water
quality can be made for the Daunia project based on the existing information:
Ground water monitoring from nearby local coal aquifers confirms that the water is
quite saline. Small aquifers in shallow tertiary and quaternary paleo channels might
contribute significant amounts of groundwater in wetter years. However, at this time
there is limited information on the potential ingress of groundwater to the Daunia
pits.
During mine operations in Central Queensland pits depress groundwater levels and
seepage of saline water into the pits is likely. But Evaporation rates are very high
and for the main, the experience in the region is that pit water issues are negligible
during operations. (Excluding storm events).
The overburden at the Daunia project has proved to be significantly non saline and
alkaline, thus the future spoil mass surrounding the future voids should also be non
saline and alkaline. Catchment dams below spoil areas should also necessarily
store low salinity, alkaline water and as well flows of surface water to the pit from
spoil runoff should also be of low salinity.
Strata in close contact with coal e.g. coal basement strata are generally saline in
the Bowen Basin, thus direct contact with this material may cause elevated salinity;
however this may be remedied by backfill with low salinity spoil at closure.
The general behaviour expectations as evidenced /indicated by studies undertaken at other

BMA mine sites are quite relevant to the Daunia project. The Daunia project is also located
in a semi-arid climatic zone where the long term average annual evaporation greatly
exceeds average rainfall. Here the approximate long term average rainfall is 584mm and
evaporation is 2,366 mm. Further, evaporation exceeds average rainfall 12 months of the
year. Thus as has been modelled at 6 other BMA mine sites, it is reasonable to conclude
that without considerable backfill to raise the void water level above the standing ground
water table or providing a release mechanism to down stream surface waters, increased
salinity in the void is reasonably anticipated.
5.3.1 Modelled Void Storage and Salinity Behaviour

Modelling post mining void storage and water quality behaviour to examine the potential for
the void to overtop in extreme events depends on an ability to determine the following key
characteristics: surface flow and incident rainfall contributions and groundwater recharge
rates (fluxes) to the void. Further to predict water quality, characterising the salinity of the
17
spoil mass as well as predicting the effects of preferred flow paths and geochemical
processes within the spoil need to be undertaken. Conceptually these matters can be
modelled with only broad indications of likely behaviour. More detailed predictive modelling
cannot be undertaken until the operational mine has firmed up on final mine landform and
materials scheduling as well as an array of high quality environmental data have been
collected in sufficient intensity and over sufficient time to enable confident projections of
void and ground water behaviour to be made. This information is typically not available at
the time of an EIS, but is progressively collected over the operational life of a mine.
Such important longer term based data would include groundwater behaviour in monitoring
bores established around the perimeter of operational and residual voids and in spoil areas
which may have linkages to these voids as well as historic pit water data sufficient to
understand the ranges and conditions of water levels and qualities and sources responsible
for those contributions to the void.
5.3.1.1 SKM MODFLOW & Void Hydrology Modelling
From a purely water balance viewpoint, there is a reasonably high degree of confidence
that water level behaviour for voids including regraded or partially backfilled voids, can be
predicted using water balance models including daily step or annualised models.
Final void water and salt balance modelling has been undertaken by SKM consultants to
investigate a range of final void configuration options to provide an indication of the likely
behaviour of residual voids at the Daunia Project. The study has involved:
Hydrological assessment of the salt and water balance based on the preliminary
residual void concept outlined in the EIS document Project Description using Visual
MODFLOW Version 4.2 and Excel modelling techniques.
Assessment of the long term behaviour of the void and its interaction with local and
regional surface and groundwater resources as well as the sensitivity of predicted
behaviour to current unknowns;
Formulation of recommendations for future investigations and research aimed

ultimately at developing an acceptable, low risk plan for the final void(s) at the
proposed Daunia mine site.
MODFLOW Groundwater Modelling

Predictive long term water balance scenarios within the final void were conducted using the
model developed for the purpose of identifying environmental impact during mining
operation (cf. EIS chapter 05). The model was built within MODFLOW software package.
MODFLOW is a three-dimensional finite element software product for analysing
groundwater seepage and excess pore-water pressure dissipation problems within porous
materials such as soil and rock. It allows analyses ranging from simple, saturated steadystate problems to sophisticated, saturated-unsaturated time-dependent problems.
The final void was simulated by attributing a high conductivity (k=9999m/day) to the cells
corresponding to the void. For these Cells, the specific yield (unconfined storage
parameter) was set to 1.0 (i.e. the entire volume of the cell can be occupied by water).
Refill material (Spoil Material) has a hydraulic conductivity set to 10m/day. All hydraulic
parameters are summarised in the following Table 3.

18
Quaternary age
Layer 1
Alluvium Unit
10 m/day
No known pumping tests have

been
conducted
in
the
Alluvium unit in the proximity of
the site, and hence, measured
hydraulic conductivity values
are not available. The range of N/A
hydraulic conductivity values
for silty sands of between 1
m/day and 90 m/day as
reported by Freeze & Cherry
(1979) has been adopted.
0.26
Sandstone
component
of
Layer 2,4,5
0.1 m/day
the Permian age
and 6
Blackwater
Group
No known pumping tests have

been
conducted
in
the
sandstone unit in the proximity
of the site, and hence,
measured K values are not
available. The absence of
moisture in these units during
drilling
(D.
McManus,
pers.comm., January 6, 2005)
indicates the sandstone to be 5E-6
largely impermeable. Freeze &
Cherry (1979) reports the
hydraulic
conductivity
of
sandstone to range between
0.00001 m/day and 1 m/day. A
number of 0.1 m/day has been
assumed for the model after K
sensitivity
analysis
during
model calibration
Coal
seam
component
of
the Permian age Layer 3, 5
Blackwater
Group
The representative and lower

limit
range
of
hydraulic
conductivity
results
was
sourced from BHP Billiton
Mitsubishi Alliance pump tests
conducted on similar coal
seams
at
Goonyella.
A
conservative upper K value
was selected from a range of
pump test results conducted in
Blackwater.
Selected exploration holes at
5E-6
Poitrel (nearby Daunia) were
subject
to
yield
testing.
Typically, yields of less than 2
L/s were measured. Yields as
low as 0.08 L/s and up to 15
L/s were however recorded. To
this end, the range of K values
adopted from the pump tests
conducted in Blackwater are
considered to be a satisfactory
representation of the yields
measured at Poitrel.
0.05
Assumed to be similar to
5E-6
alluvial material.
0.26
5 m/day
Mine Refill
Some cells
in
layer 10 m/day
2,3,4,5,6
Void
Some cells
in Layer 1 9999m/day
&2

N/A
0.05
01
Ss/Sy
Sources
Sy model
Ss model
(1/m)
K Sources
K model
Model
Layer
Geological
Unit
Table 3 Daunia Hydraulic Parameter and Storage Coefficients
No known pumping
tests
have
been
conducted
in
the
Alluvium unit in the
proximity of the site,
and hence, storativity
values
are
not
available. The range of
storativity values for a
medium
sand
of
between 0.15 and 0.26
as reported by Fetter
(1994).
This aquifer would

typically be confined
within the groundwater
model and therefore
the specific storage
was assumed to be
0.000005.
Typical storativity value

reported from BHP
Billiton
Mitsubishi
Alliance pump tests
conducted on similar
coal
seams
at
Goonyella
and
Blackwater
Assumed to be similar
to alluvial material.
19
Notes:
1. Conductivity (K) Property of a medium expressing the relative ease with which fluids
can pass through.
2. Specific Storage (Ss) is defined as the volume of water that a unit volume of aquifer
releases from storage under a unit decline in hydraulic head due to aquifer
compaction and water expansion.
3. Specific Yield (Sy) is known as the storage term for an unconfined aquifer. It is
defined as the volume of water that an unconfined aquifer releases from storage per
unit surface area per unit decline in the water table.
Results of this modelling were used to generate generalised relationships linking
groundwater inflow/outflow functions to void water level. These relationships were then
incorporated into the overall surface water balance model of the conceptual Daunia void.
See Section 5.4 for Conceptual Final void dimensions.
Void Hydrology and Salt Balance

The water and salt balance model was developed using Excel to simulates rainfall runoff
inflows to the void from its catchment, evaporative losses from the void and groundwater
inflows and outflows derived from the generic groundwater flow modelling discussed above.
For the final mine pit void, the applied recharge was estimated from the historical rainfall
time series applying eight different scenarios with varying catchment area and climatic
condition. These scenarios are summarised in Table 4.
Table 4 Summary of the 8 Daunia Climatic and Catchment Area Cases Runs
2
Catchment Area (km )

Cases
Rainfall
Change
Climate
1a
Historical Monthly Data
1b
Historical Monthly Data
2a
Climate Change - Dry Case = -30 % Rainfall
-30%
2b
Climate Change - Dry Case = -30 % Rainfall
-30%
3a
3b
Climate Change Rainfall

Climate Change Rainfall
Median Case = -7.5 %

Median Case = -7.5 %
Catchment
Case
Void
Catchment
0%
Minimum
3.88
0.8
0%
Large
3.88
4.1
Minimum
3.88
0.8
Large
3.88
4.1
-8%
Minimum
3.88
0.8
-8%
Large
3.88
4.1
4a
Climate Change - Wet Case = +15 % Rainfall
15%
Minimum
3.88
0.8
4b
Climate Change - Wet Case = +15 % Rainfall
15%
Large
3.88
4.1
In order to overcome model stability issues, the output of a model simulating one year after
the end of mining operations has been used as initial conditions for all the eight cases runs.
The one year model initial conditions were the water level output for Daunia-Tr20 - best
estimate scenario reflecting operational phase of the project between year 15 and 20.
The hydrology for the final void modelling was determined based on an annual runoff
coefficient. The annual volume of runoff was determined based on the runoff coefficient
and the catchment area. The runoff was generated for a range of scenarios to assess the

20
impacts due to changes in catchment area and to capture the potential variation in rainfall
due to climate change. The scenarios considered are presented in table above.
Rainfall recorded and runoff calculations were supplied to be in included in the groundwater
modelling.
Two generalised scenarios with different catchments and climate influences have been
examined including a deeper void scenario based on the initial Daunia base model and also
a shallower void scenario.
Deeper Void Hydrology Scenario
The prelim conceptual void (base model) reported in the EIS assumed that the base of the
reformed void was proximate to the base of the mined out lower coal seam at
approximately RL126M and that the batters of the void were established at 1V:6H. The
results of this modelling are summarised in the following Figure 1. All cases show that an
equilibrium level range is mostly reached within 10 20 years and the actual long term
levels are dependent with the adopted scenario.
Elevationofthepitlakesurfaceforallstudiedcases
174
172
170
pitlakesurfaceelevation(mAHD)
168
166
164
162
160
158
156
154
Case1A
Case1B
Case2A
Case2B
Case3A
Case3B
Case4A
Case4B
152
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Time(yearafterclosure)
Figure 1 Daunia Final Void Deep Pit Water Level Scenarios

Case 2A is the wost case resulting from climate change induced drying and is reflective of
the lowest yield situation, hence the long term average standing water level in the void is
lowest of the modelled scenarios T RL 159m MAHD. TWL of the void is approximate 200m
AHD, hence remaining freeboard is considerable at approximately 40 metres.
Case 4B however represents the wettest case with the largest catchment. As expected
average void levels are considerably higher at RL 170mAHD approximately. Nonetheless
available freeboard remains very substantial at approximately 30m.
21
As already stated this is the base scenario, there is clearly little or no prospect for the void
to spill. This is fully consistent with the results of similar but independently derived
modelling undertaken a many of the existing BMA operations in central Queensland.
Modified Void Shallow void hydrology scenario

This scenario has been developed to examine the probable changes in void hydrological
behaviour when considerable backfill into the void is undertaken to raise the mine pit floor
from approximately RL126m AHD to RL160m AHD. That is the floor of the residual void is
raised by 34 metres to a level above the anticipated standing water level of the regional
ground water table. The scenarios examined with this situation have been completed with
the historic rainfall (scenario 1 from the previous scenarios provided and with a reduced
lake surface of 1.2 km2 for evaporation). Two versions of this shallow void scenario have
been examined:
Scenario 1A-1 minimum catchment case

Scenario 1B-1 larger catchment case
Figure 2 provides an indication of long term water levels for the shallow void situation.
Figure 2 Daunia Final Void Shallow Pit Water Level Scenarios
Elevationofthepitlakesurfaceforallstudiedcases
190
185
pitlakesurfaceelevation(mAHD)
180
175
170
165
160
155
150
145
SC_1A1
SC_1B1
140
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Time(yearafterclosure)
This shallow void scenario as expected shows that average water levels are higher than for
the deeper void situation, but that the maximum level for the large catchment scenario at
RL 185 m AHD is still substantially below the crest of the void which is approximately RL
200m AHD.
Calculations by SKM indicate that the void will not spill in a PMT event. Even if a spill were
possible, it is if feasible to manipulate external catchments by changes in spoil placement
designs and programs as well as implementing surface drainage controls to prevent such a
spill occurring.
22
Solute Balance Deep Void Scenario

The solute balance was completed using a excel spreadsheet to account for the movement
of both water and solute on an annual basis through the final void. The solute loads were
determined using the following parameters:
void 750 S/cm;
rehabilitated 250 S/cm; and
groundwater 15,000 S/cm
Key findings from the modelling indicate that with the 1V:6H regrade (17%) and the deep pit
scenario, the simulated salinity levels progressively increase through time. See Figure 3.
This is also quite consistent with solute modelling in final voids undertaken on a number of
occasions at other BMA Mines. The base case situation is that the void acts effectively as a
sump in which newt groundwater flows, surface runoff and seepage contributions are
continually evaporated. Hence salts accumulate in the void.
45,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
TDS(mg/L)
Scenario1A
Scenario1B
25,000
Scenario2A
Scenario2B
20,000
Scenario3A
Scenario3B
15,000
Scenario4A
Scenario4B
10,000
5,000
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
MineClosure(Years)
Figure 3 Daunia Final Void Deep Pit Salinity Behaviour

Over the modelled time frame, in all deep pit scenarios salinity increases. By year 90
salinities between 20,000 mg/l to 40,000mg/L are projected for the residual void. This
increase is reflective of an initial saline groundwater table contribution and ongoing
evaporation of salts contributed by ongoing groundwater and surface water and spoil
seepage into the void.
As discussed in Section 4.2, the preliminary results of recently commenced LOA planning
which includes implementation of the BMA Sustainable Landform Guideline shows that
considerable backfill beyond the base case model is possible. Thus additional hydrological

23
and solute modelling has been undertaken to identify if hypersaline conditions can be
mitigated by greater levels of backfill into the residual void.
Solute Balance Shallow Void Scenario

With the base case situation the Daunia void is expected to progress to hypersaline
conditions, however previous studies (as discussed in section 5.2 of this report) have
indicated that there are prospective strategies available to mitigate void salinity. This has
also been explored for the Daunia residual void and quite positive outcomes are indicated
as shown in the following Figure 4.
14,000
12,000
TDS(mg/L)
10,000
8,000
Scenario1A1
Scenario1B1
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
MineClosure(Years)
Figure 4 Daunia Final Void Shallow Pit Salinity Behaviour

Figure 4 provides a salinity projection which indicates that when the floor of the void is
backfilled to above RL160m AHD, long term hypersalinity may be avoided and salinities
ranging between 4,000 mg/L and 8,000 mg/L may be achieved depending on scenario. This
is a limited indicative modelling exercise, but does demonstrate the potential for salinity
mitigation when void water is able to migrate into the ground water table. Where void water
quality is a similar or better water quality than the groundwater, this may be a useful
strategy.
It should be noted that there are a host of catchment area and void backfill scenarios which
would materially improve on these outcomes. However, before these concepts can be
refined to provide greater confidence in projected outcomes, a suite of environmental
performance data needs to be collected at statistical meaningful levels as the mine
develops. For example long term groundwater qualities, levels and recharge rates as well
as actual spoil runoff quality and spoil seepage quality. When this information becomes
available from the results of environmental monitoring programs proposed fro the site; and
the long term mine plan has been refined sufficiently, BMA will be in a position to provide
reasonably accurate projections for long term salinity outcomes for the Daunia residual

24
void. BMA is committed to implementation of research and design investigations to ensure

that the water quality of the residual void will be mitigated to the most practicable cost
effective limit at mine closure.
5.4 CONCLUSIONS
It is clear for the Daunia project and much of the Bowen basin where average evaporation
far exceeds average rainfall (and extreme rainfall as well), that in the absence of significant
surface runoff from external areas, overflow from deep pits including regraded pits is most
unlikely. This situation could change if the catchment area above the void is sufficiently
large to cause water levels to rise on an annual basis; Even though a spill is unlikely, it is
acknowledged that regraded voids (e.g. to 1V:6H to 1V:10H slopes) have sufficient insitu
catchment to form a substantial body of water from time to time.
Although spill levels are very unlikely to be encountered, a substantial body of water will
form in the void and its usefulness (salinity) will ultimately depend on void configuration with
respect to the regional groundwater table. The modelling suggests that it may be possible
to configure a final void to provide a sustainable useful source of water for livestock and
some native fauna. Considerable monitoring and investigation will be required as the mine
develops to refine strategies which may be implemented to bring about improved water
quality outcomes.
The important aspect of the above preliminary modelling undertaken to date is that it will
enable the Daunia Mine to conceptualise various combinations of spoil topography and
catchment sizes around designated residual voids to determine what the storage behaviour
of a particular residual void might be. Then via a design process if necessary, the mine may
be able to increase or decrease contributing catchment areas to reduce annualised stored
water levels or perhaps increase annualised levels. Improved understanding of potential
groundwater behaviour and the permeability of regraded spoil in pits will enable the Daunia
project to further understand the hydrology of deep voids and identify the amount of backfill
which may be required to either isolate the regional water table or design for positive
mechanisms to equilibrate saline water in the voids to beneficial levels.
More modelling and investigation may be undertaken as the final landform planning
becomes firmer and as more comprehensive environmental monitoring data becomes
available during mine operations in the immediate vicinity of the final location of the residual
void. The monitoring would include void and bore water levels and water quality. Further it
would be desirable if the research be extended to provide more specific information
including the physical and geochemical characteristics of spoil and pit water contributions
from exposed contributing aquifers.

25
6 GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY OF THE RESIDUAL VOID

6.1 INTRODUCTION
Highwall stability investigations are routinely carried out on an operational basis as part of
mine planning to ensure the safety of personnel and the security of the exposed coal.
However, from a closure perspective, it is recognised that further specific investigation
would be required if the intention were to leave standing highwalls and endwalls.
Highwall and endwalls of mine pits in Central Queensland are often comprised of
dispersible, unconsolidated Tertiary material sitting above firmer consolidated Permian
sediments. Endwalls usually exhibit greater instability than highwalls due to the exposed
alignment of bedding and faulting planes. Some highwalls exhibit reasonable short to
medium term stability, others do not.
BMA does not propose to leave standing highwalls and enwalls at the Daunia project, but
rather to backfill the final void to the most practicable and cost effective limit during
operations and regrade the balance of the open void
6.2 RELEVANT STUDIES

Studies by ACARP researchers (Rehabilitation of Highwalls - ACARP Project C14048 Final Report) based on inspections of several mines across the Bowen Basin concluded
that most of the highwalls in Tertiary and weathered overburden would not be
geomechanically stable in the long term. These sedimentary materials are not strong
enough for the main to resist failures due to water incursion and failures due to physical
erosion damage. .
The stability of regraded spoils has been discussed by John Simmons by John Simmons
Pty Ltd (Sherwood Geotechnical and Research Services) in several BMA residual void
investigation reports submitted to the EPA in mid 2008. This specialist geotechnical
consultancy has considerable experience in evaluation of geotechnical conditions in Bowen
Basin mining formed over many years. The consultant noted in all instances that regraded
slopes for final voids in the range of 10% - 25% are inherently "stable" overall and that
based on typical short-term shear strengths and likely surface and groundwater scenarios,
regrading to 25% would produce geotechnically stable landforms for lowwall spoil highwalls
and endwalls with an outer surfacing of primarily Permian materials. Further that the
intervening final void might have a seasonally variable water ponding function, and this
would be extremely unlikely to create conditions where geotechnical instability could
develop.
Thus considering the expert opinion of John Simmons Pty Ltd, from a geotechnical
perspective, the proposed regraded Daunia void batters which are nominally 1V:6H (17%)
or flatter do not present significant risk of geotechnical failure events such as mass
slumping. Further, grades flatter than 25% are not likely to be affected by variable water
levels in the final void. Local settlement is possible, but can only be gauged if and when it
occurs at a future time.

26
7 VOID CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT NATIVE FLORA & FAUNA

7.1 SCENARIO DEPENDENCY
There are a number of scenarios that will cause marked differences in the capability of a
residual void to support flora and fauna.
Intensive treatment such as backfilling will yield a similar environment to the

balance of the rehabilitated spoil areas. Fauna monitoring by WBM (WBM 1999
Assessment of Fauna Diversity in Rehabilitation) at nearby BMA Peak Downs
mine demonstrates that a return of native fauna occurs in the rehabilitation, as
would be expected, given a variety of shrubs and trees and pasture cover have
been established which can provide food and shelter for avifauna and
macropods.
Regrading lowwalls will provide safe access for fauna to temporary or permanent
water which may pond on the pit floor during rainfall. However, as discussed in
earlier sections the usefulness of the water storage will be dependent on the
nature of the interaction of the void with the regional ground water table and
areas and types of contributing catchments.
Also, provided the catchment area of the residual void exceeds a specified ratio
it is possible that the water may be available on a permanent basis. More
advanced hydrological and geochemical modelling will be required in the future to
support this strategy. Use of void to support specific uses such as aquatic fauna
for aquaculture will require further investigation.
However with deep, steeply sloping voids in Central Queensland (and also reported in
Western Australia) the ability of voids as is to support significant life will depend on whether
there is permanent water stored in the void and the ultimate salinity of the void water.
The oxygen flux of the void may also have important implications for the ability of the water
to sustain aquatic fauna. Measurements of some typical mine voids with standing highwalls
in Central Queensland has shown that oxygen levels can diminish very rapidly as depth
increases, thus limiting use of the voids for aquaculture without active and costly
oxygenation. (Pers comm. P. Baker, March 2008)
Decisions in the future will have to be made regarding mechanisms to maintain water
quality in final void at a useful level to support fauna or livestock. This may include a need
to utilize more backfill to reduce storage capacity or open up greater areas of catchment to
improve yield. Further the chemical and physical dynamics of the void water body require
investigation. For example, the development of a thermoclines and chemoclines may be
dependent on a host of topographic and hydrological variables such as void depth, batter
length and slope, catchment area and yield, and perhaps groundwater incursion. Further
studies to better understand these issues need to be commissioned well before mine
closure should aquatic fauna habitat be considered as a viable post-closure option.

27
7.2 RESIDUAL VOID REHABILITATION PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

The EPA has provided an indication of its acceptance criteria for residual voids in Guideline
18. The provisional performance criteria are based on design guidelines detailed in the
BMA Sustainable Landform Guideline which provides for backfilling voids progressively
during mine operations, then making the final void safe, sustainable and stable. Proposed
key performance criteria for the proposed Daunia residual void includes:
1. Safety: the potential for highwall collapse causing injury to persons, stock or
fauna will be eliminated by substantial backfilling or regrading of the residual
void.
2. Stability: There are no plans to leave standing highwalls, thus geotechnical
issues such as collapse and slumping should not arise.
3. Sustainability: the residual void will form part of the overall spoil rehabilitation of
the minesite. Spoil may be subject to one or more treatments based on
minimising erosion potential including: 1V:6H (17%) or flatter regrade sufficient
to support erosion and drainage stability and conventional topsoiling, or
perhaps a steeper regrade e.g. 25% if covered with thick durable rock and soil
mulching.
4. Biodiversity: A variety of native trees and shrubs and native and introduced
grasses as are currently used at nearby BMA mines will be established.
5. Protection of useful water resources: the eventual void treatment will not result
in loss of beneficial use capability to surface or underground water resources.
These are the minimum performance levels that are indicative of a stable and sustainable
outcome for the Daunia Void. Subsets of performance may need to be developed for
various treatment alternatives depending on what specific landform treatment is imposed
and what the characteristics of the residual void are in terms of water storage and salinity
behavior. These will be investigated during the life of the operation.

28
8 REFERENCE AND INFORMATION DOCUMENTS

Daunia EIS and Appendices.
ACARP (Dec 2001) Project No C7007 Water Quality and Discharge Predictions for Final
Void and Spoil Catchments - Vol 1 & 2.
ACARP (1998) Post Mining Landscape Parameters for Erosion and Water Quality Control
Project.
ACARP Project C14048 Final Report Rehabilitation Of Highwalls, Nov 2006.
BMA (2008) Draft Sustainable Landform Guideline
BHP Billiton (2004) Closure Standard. HSEC.
Gilbert & Associates Final Void Hydrological Assessments June 2008 - Gregory Crinum,
Blackwater, Goonyella Riverside, Peak Downs, South Walker Creek and Saraji Mines.
John Simmons Pty Ltd (Geotechnical (Sherwood Geotechnical and Research Services)
Final Void Stability Review Peak Downs, Saraji, South Walker Creek, Goonyella
Riverside, Gregory Crinum and Blackwater mines.
PW Baker & Associates & Gilbert * Associates Residual Void Investigations A series of
reports for BMA Peak Downs, Norwich Park, Goonyella Riverside, Saraji, Gregory Crinum,
South Walker Creek, & Blackwater Mine. June 2008.
SKM Residual void hydrology and salinity balance models. March 2009.

240
24
ML 70312
Millennium East
24
PROPOSED
GO LINE
AREA
0
23
0
06
01
EV
02
CL01
01
4
C L0
C V06
C V05
04
06
06
06
06
04
04
06
06
~RL 206
ML 1781
09
Approximate Original
07
09
Daunia
09
09
09
Contour
09
(BHP Coal Pty
10
10
Dam 4
07
07
07
10
10
10
03
WV
200
74
01
01
03
.C.
03
03
04
04
04
02
04
5
SL0
4
SL0
6
SL0
20
02
02
7
SL0
02
02
1
SL0
2
SL0
3
SL0
02
02
8
SL0
01
200
03
03
03
200
.o
Dam 5 A
01
01
01
01
01
9
SL0
09
WV
08
WV
07
WV
06
WV
04
WV
0 05
20 W V
1
~RL
01
02
WV
10
02 200
02
02
02
02
02
10
10
200
07
1
~RL 1
07
07
01
WV
21
01
Ltd)
09
20
210
09
~RL 230
01
01
01
01
01
03
03
03
03
03
03
03
05
05
05
Fin
S lo
er
u tt 0
a l O in 1
1
04
04
04
04
04
04
06
06
06
200
05 05
05
190
pe
05
05
05
07 07
1
SV0
19
19
~RL 210
19
06
06
06
06
06
07
08
06
08
06
190
07
07
07
190
19
3
SV0
Dam 6
07
~RL 12609
03
5
SV0
4
SV0
07
07
07
02
07
98
SV
03
02
07
190
01
01
99
SV
19
190
Data Source: Minserve

LEGEND
Existing Railway
Proposed Mine Infrastructure
Drainage
Topography Contours
)"
"
) Spoil Dumps
)"
"
) Pit Floor
Revised Mining Blocks

ERE Areas
Areas Available for Rehab
Mining Lease
ATTACHMENT 1
DAUNIA COAL MINE
PROPOSED MINING SEQUENCE

YEAR 20
0.5
1.5
Kilometres
Scale 1:50,000 on A4
Projections: Australian Map Grid - Zone 55 (AGD84)
I:\QENV\Projects\QE06520\1800 Spatial\Arc_MXD\Figures\Fig_Attachment1_Proposed_Mining_Sequence_Year20_v6.mxd Produced: 19/3/2009
06
EL01
08 08
08
04
04
04
EL02
08
04
04
21004
EL03
08
03
03
21
EL04
08
03
03
03
03
03
03
03
EL05
08
02
EL06
210
210
08
6
C L0
05
7
C L0
02
01
WW
05
07
07
08 08
05
05
05
05
05
ML 70115
Daunia East
(BHP Coal Pty Ltd)
02
03
C V08
C V07
~R
L
07
02
02
02
02
03
16
WW
07
210
07
07
07
16
02
02
02
02
22
02
210
07
01
01
01
n al
C V02
C V01
gi
Or i
15
ate 15 r
m
i
u
x
15
pro Co15nt o210
Ap
C V04
C V03
01
15
16
07
220
98
06
06
Dam 3
01
04
04
04 214
~RL
0
06
01
01
02
03
03 03
CL02
CL03
CL04
03
21
06
23
02
03
02
04
06
pe
ML 4749
Poitrel
(BHP Mitsui Coal Pty Ltd)
03
01
04
15
210
EV01
23
04
03
CL92
CL06
03
CL05
0
22
CL07
02 02
03
04
05
05
05
05
01
22
S lo
er
u tt 0
a l O in 1
1
04
01
12
02 NA
02
02
lop e
Fin
220
03
01
01
NA11
02
04
04
05
01
10
02 NA
02
02
Proposed
ex-pit ROM
S
tt er
l O u 10
1 in
220
20
01
01
03
04
01
NA07
01
02
02
04
04
NA06
09
02 NA
02
04
04
NA05
01
05
05
CappingNA08
01
ML 70116
Red Mountain
(BHP Coal Pty Ltd)
230
03
03
02
01
01
NA04
03
02
04
C V09
02
01
01
01~RL 240
01
05
04
NA03
03
05
04
NA02
2
C L0
23
22
~R
05
04
NA01
03
0
L 27 03
ad
05
30
207
Fina
NV
04
NV
05
NV
06
NV
07
01
C V11
C V10
NV
01
NV
02
NV
03
05
02
02
Ro
04
01
02
220
03
01
02
Ha
ul
02
01
3
C L0
22
02
22
01
os
ed
01
NL
220
01
1
C L0
23
240
Pr
op
01
230
230
5
C L0
23
230
Dam 3
Dam 4
Dam 5
Dam 6
Data Source: Minserve

LEGEND
Existing Railway
Proposed Mine Infrastructure
Topography Contours
Drains
Regional Watercourses
Internal Catchments
Mining Lease
)"
"
) Spoil Dumps
Areas Rehabilitated
Attachment 2
DAUNIA COAL MINE

FINAL LANDFORM
0.7
1.4
Kilometres
2.1
2.8
Scale 1:65,000 on A4
Projections: Australian Map Grid - Zone 55 (AGD84)
I:\QENV\Projects\QE06520\1800 Spatial\Arc_MXD\Figures\Fig_Attachment2_Proposed_Mining_Sequence_FinalLandform_v2.mxd Produced: 19/3/2009
Clean water drain along

lease boundary taking
off-lease run-off around Dam 4

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DAUNIA MINE PROJECT

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................1

Project Description ...........................................................................................4

FINAL LANDFORM PLANNING PROGRAM............................................................10

Long Term Planning & Spoil Fit Investigations ...............................................10

Proposed Residual Void Design Criteria ........................................................11

LONG TERM VOID WATER STORAGE AND QUALITY .........................................13

Factors Affecting Void Behaviour ...................................................................13

GEOTECHNICAL STABILITY OF THE RESIDUAL VOID........................................25

VOID CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT NATIVE FLORA & FAUNA ...............................26

Scenario Dependency ....................................................................................26

REFERENCE AND INFORMATION DOCUMENTS ..................................................28

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

LINKAGE BETWEEN EPA SUBMISSION & REPORT CONTENT

Potential Impacts on Groundwater resources after mining

3.8, 3.9, 5.1, 5.2,

Size of Proposed Final Voids

4.1.4.2, 4.3 &

Mine Planning and the size of the proposed final voids

Water Levels in Final Void

5.1, 5.2, 5.3 &

Final Void Water Quality and potential impacts on water resources

5.1, 5.2, 5.3 &

Rehabilitation of final landform and runoff into final voids

Details on drainage and seepage control systems

Measures to ensure stability of the waste dumps.

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

4.3, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1

Overburden strata between coal

The operation to remove

Australian Height Datum

Approximate Original Contour

BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance

Coal Preparation Plant

The last mining pit and remaining

Environmental Protection Agency

Environmental Protection Act 1994

Residual Void A void remaining after mine site

Environmental Management Plan

The lengthwise extremities of the

Final Rehabilitation Report

The pit wall of un-mined land

Life of Asset Mine Planning

The spoil placed immediately

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

Rehabilitation Earthworks and revegetation

Generally refers to the

Overburden after removal to

Fine coal washery waste.

The upper layer of the soil profile

Top Water Level

More detailed hydrological and geochemical research aimed at more accurately

Groundwater investigation aimed primarily at understanding the behaviour of the

Ongoing spoil characterisation to determine the characteristics of spoil

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

100 m wide mining strips, nominally 500 m in length;

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

3.2 POST MINING LANDUSE

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS

3.4 BACKGROUND SURFACE WATER QUALITY

3.5 SPOIL CHARACTERISTICS

DAUNIA MINE PROJECT EIS