Appendix C - Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment - Peabody Energy

Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment
North Wambo Underground Mine Modification
8.0 Impact Assessment and Mitigation
This section provides an assessment of the proposed project in relation to Aboriginal heritage. Conservation
of Aboriginal sites and areas of archaeological sensitivity is the preferred heritage outcome. However, other
mitigation options have been developed in case this is unfeasible as part of the proposed project.
Potential impacts of the NWUMM on Aboriginal cultural heritage include subsidence effects and direct
disturbance. Direct disturbance to the project area would be limited to impacts associated with installation
and operation of dewatering bores, (although the location of the boreholes and associated minor
infrastructure is flexible and would be located to avoid impact to known Aboriginal sites), vehicle movements
and subsidence mitigation works (e.g. modification of existing contour bunds). Vehicular movements would
be limited to those required for monitoring and general site maintenance activities. If required, the minor
subsidence mitigation works would be located to minimise impacts on Aboriginal cultural heritage and would
be subject to relevant permits being obtained.
Table 17 provides the predicted subsidence movements at each site within the study area discussed in
MSEC (2012), which does not include all sites in the project area. Based upon the subsidence predictions in
MSEC (2012) (Extract provided in Appendix 8), and as provided in Table 17 below, it is considered that the
whole of surface movement and potential soil cracking has the propensity for minor to moderate impacts to
Aboriginal cultural heritage to occur in some parts of the NWUMM project area. The overall risk from all
historic and approved subsidence is therefore assessed as low to moderate. However, when the historic and
approved subsidence impacts are considered, the incremental subsidence from the NWUMM would result in
a negligible to low additional risk.
Considering the nature and scale of historic and ongoing land disturbance processes in the region,
predominantly due to agricultural activities; the nature and extent of identified and likely Aboriginal sites in
the subject area; and the nature and scale of impacts associated with the project; it is considered that the
project would not substantially increase cumulative impacts to Aboriginal heritage in the region.
Site ID
Code
Table 17 Maximum Predicted Subsidence at Aboriginal Sites within the Modification Area (MSEC 2012)
Site Name
Predicted total
subsidence based
on the approved
layout (mm)
Incremental
change in
subsidence due to
the proposed
modification
(millimetres [mm])
Incremental
change in tilt due
to the proposed
modification
(mm/m)
37-5-0293 Wambo Site 45 750 50 1
37-5-0294 Wambo Site 46 3500 1300 20
37-5-0192 Wambo Site 47 500 0 1
37-5-0192 Wambo Site 48 1700 100 0
37-5-0298 Wambo Site 55 3800 0 -5
37-5-0299 Wambo Site 56 4000 0 0
37-5-0300 Wambo Site 57 3100 400 5
37-5-0301 Wambo Site 58 4300 2100 25
37-5-0302 Wambo Site 59 3200 2000 20
37-5-0303 Wambo Site 60 2800 400 5
37-5-0304 Wambo Site 61 3700 0 0
37-5-0187 Wambo Site 98b 1800 0 0
37-5-0273 Wambo Site 333 (HV52) 1900 1200 20
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