10.1 General 82
10.2 IdentificationofIssues 83
10.3 PlansforDealingwith 83EnvironmentalIssues
Environmental Issues
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10.1 GeneralMelbourneAirportmaintainsacomprehensivelevelofmanagementoftheenvironmentalaspectsandimpactsatMelbourneAirport.TheEnvironmentsectionofthisMasterPlanisdevelopedinparallelwiththeMelbourneAirportEnvironmentStrategyevery5years,aimingtoimproveontheenvironmentalinitiativesachievedinthepaststrategies.TheAirportsActrequirestheMasterPlantoincludeanassessmentofenvironmentalissuesthatmightreasonablybeexpectedtobeassociatedwithprojectsoutlined.
AnEnvironmentalImpactStatement(EIS)waspreparedbythepreviousairportoperatorintheMelbourneAirportStrategyprocess,whichcoveredproposalstofullydeveloptheairportsiteforaircraftoperations.TheEIS,whichwaspreparedundertherequirementsoftheCommonwealthEnvironment Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act 1974,identifiedthelikelysocial,physical,biologicalandeconomicimpactsoftheAirportStrategy.
ThefindingsoftheEISrecognisedthatMelbourneAirportcouldcontinuetoundertaketimelydevelopmentsoverthenext50yearsinresponsetogrowthinaviationdemand.ThisledtojointFederalandStateGovernmentadoptionoftheAirportStrategy.Projectsproposedtobeundertakenduringthenext20yearshavebeenidentifiedinSection8ofthisMasterPlan.ThedevelopmentscenarioproposedbytheseprojectsisconsistentwiththebroadplanningframeworkfortheairportthatwasestablishedbytheAirportStrategyprocess.
Thedevelopmentproposalsarearesponsetotheongoinggrowthcharacteristicsofaviationtrafficandtheaccompanyingactivitylevelsattheairport.Thisgrowthinactivitylevelshasthecapacitytohavepotentialimpactsattheairportinvariousenvironmentalaspectswhichinclude:
•EnvironmentalManagement;
•EcologicalSustainableDesign;
•EnergyManagementandClimateChange;
•WaterQuality–Stormwater;
•WaterQuality–Groundwater;
•WaterConsumptionManagement;
•WasteandResourceManagement;
•BiodiversityandConservationManagement;
•LandManagement;
•AirQuality;
•CulturalHeritage;
•Ground-BasedNoise;
•CommunityEngagement;and
•HazardousSubstances.
TheseenvironmentalaspectsandassociatedimpactshavebeenconsideredintheEnvironmentStrategyastheyalreadyoccurwiththepresentlevelofairportoperationsonaday-to-daybasis.
WithintheexistingframeworkofenvironmentalmanagementattheairportincludingtheEnvironmentalManagementSystem,thesepotentialareasofimpactcanbemonitoredandmanagedtoachievecompliancewithstandardssetoutintheAirports(EnvironmentProtection)RegulationsandVictorianStatelegislationtotheextentthatitsactivitiesimpactonsurroundingVictorianlandandwaterways,alongwiththeCommonwealth’sstatutoryrequirementforimprovingenvironmentalmanagement.
TheMasterPlanEnvironmentSectionreflectsthecommitmentsmadeintheMelbourneAirportEnvironmentStrategyandaddressesthoseenvironmentalissuesthatcanbeattributedtofurtherairportdevelopmentinthenext20years,thatarenotspecificallycoveredintheEnvironmentStrategy.
10.0 Environmental Issues
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10.2 Identification of IssuesTheproposalsidentifiedinthisMasterPlanforimplementationduringthenext20yearsprovideforadditionalrunwaycapacityandincrementalextensionstovariousfacilitiesandinfrastructureservices.Althoughtheseprojectswillhaveavaryingdegreeofimpactintheenvironmentalareaslistedintheprevioussection,theyareexpectedtobemanageablewiththeimplementationofappropriateenvironmentalmanagementcontrolsthroughtheEnvironmentalManagementSystem(EMS)process.
Environmentalissuesthatmightreasonablybeexpectedtobeassociatedwithprojectimplementationinclude:
•Effectsonlandform;
•Impactonfloraandfauna;
•Removaloftreesandsignificantflora;
•Impactonculturalandindigenousheritagesites;
•Demolitionandconstructionimpacts;
•EcologicalSustainableDesign;
•Climatechange;and
•Downstreamandon-airporteffectsofincreasesinstormwaterdischarge.
Thefollowingsectionassessestheseimpactsandindicatesplansformanagingthem.Theassessmentofin-flightaircraftnoiseimpactandexternallanduseplanningisdiscussedinSection9.1.MelbourneAirporthaspreparedanOperationalSafetyPolicytocontrolnoisefromaircraftgroundrunningfortestpurposes.Thisdocumentspecifiesprocedurestominimisethelevelofnoiseexposuretotheairportenvirons.Anareacanbemadeavailableontheairportforanoiseattenuationfacility,shouldthisberequiredinthefuture.
10.3 Plans for Dealing with Environmental IssuesMelbourneAirporthaschosentoadopttheInternationalStandardforEnvironmentalManagementSystemsISO14001(2004)asthestandardagainstwhichitsEMSwillbeaudited,MelbourneAirportsuccessfullyachievedre-certificationinJune2007.TheEMSenablestheformulationofpoliciesandobjectives,takingintoaccountlegislativeneedsandinformationaboutsignificantenvironmentalaspects.
LandformThetwoareasmostaffectedbythedevelopmentproposalswillbethepresentlyundevelopedsouthandsouth-eastareasoftheairportandtheareasoftheairportwherefuturerunwayconstructionisplanned.Theconstructionoftheneweast-westrunwayandassociatedtaxiwaysystemwillrequirefillingacrossArundelCreek.TherewillbearequirementtopipeArundelCreekundergroundinthefillareas.
Earthworkstoprovidetherequiredrunwayandapproachsurfacesforanewnorth-southrunwaywillsignificantlyalterthewesternhillsideoftheGreyBoxForestarea.
Whenconstructed,theproposedrunwaysandtaxiwayswillemphasisethecomparativelyflatnatureoftheairportsiteandremovethepresentlandformpatternsintheseareas.
Thechangesinlandformtoresultfromthedevelopmentproposalsareunavoidablebutareconsistentwithothersitesdevelopedforairportandindustrialpurposes.
Asmentionedabove,extensiveearthworksinvolvingdeepcutandfillareasarerequiredforconstructionofeitheroftheproposedfuturerunways.Attheappropriatetime,stepswillbetakentoassessthestabilityofbattersandtoensurebytrimmingandplantingsthatfinalbattersarevisuallyacceptable.Excludingnewpavementareas,topsoilingandgrassingofallotherdisturbedareaswillbeundertaken.
Proposeddevelopmentsinthesouthandsouth-eastareaswillremovetheslightlyundulatingruralcharacteroftheseareas.Theairportoperator’sconsentprocesscoversarangeofissues,frombuildingenvelopesandarchitecturetolandscapingandtheneedfordevelopmentandongoingoperationstobeconductedinaccordancewiththeMelbourneAirportEnvironmentPolicy.
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CertainareassetasideforconservationvalueattheairportarenotaffectedbyproposalsintheMasterPlan,thesebeing:
•Thegolfcourseareainthesouth-westsector;
•Anorthernareawheremorethan50%oftheGreyBoxForestwillremainandbeextended;
•AnareabetweenSunburyRoadandMooneePondsCreekwhichisleasedbyParksVictoriaandadjacenttoWoodlandsHistoricPark.ParksVictoriathereforehaveresponsibilityforthewholebufferareaasshowninFigure10.1;
•AnnandaleRoadconservationarea;and
•FrontageareasalongDeepCreekandtheMaribyrnongRiver.
TheseareasareshownontheUltimateAirportEnvironmentalPlandrawing,refertoFigure10.1,andcomprisesome579hectares.
Flora and FaunaFloraandfaunaissuesareassessedforeverynewdevelopmenton-airportand,wherewarranted,appropriateassessmentsundertakeninaccordancewiththe2008EnvironmentStrategy.TheMasterPlanincludesaprovision(refertoFigure10.1)toprovideafaunacorridorfromtheGreyBoxForesttoDeepCreek.TheGreyBoxForestandStMary’sChurchareenteredontheRegisteroftheNationalEstate.Aninitialhabitathectareassessmentwasundertakenin2007toverifythehabitatrequirementsforafuturethirdrunway.
Comprehensiveairport-widefloraandfaunastudieshavebeenundertakenatMelbourneAirportforthepotentialoractualpresenceofthreatenedfloraandfaunalistedundertheEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)andtheVictorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.In1997,faunastudiesindicatedthattheSwiftParrot,thecommondunnart,abullantandtheAustralianGrayling(afish)aretheonlythreatenedspecies,undertheCommonwealthandStatelegislationreferredtoabove,whichhavebeenrecordedat,orcouldpotentiallyoccurat,MelbourneAirport.MorerecentfaunastudiesoftheStripedLeglessLizard(2004),EarlessDragon(2005)andGoldenSunMoth(2007)havebeenundertaken.TheseinvestigationsconcludedthatoutsideoftheGreyBoxForest,MelbourneAirportcontainslittlevegetationofsignificanceandthereforeitisextremelyunlikelythatlistedspeciesarepresent.
Removal of TreesTwoareasoftheairportwhereexistingstandsoftreesaretobeaffectedbythedevelopmentproposalsare:
•TheGreyBoxForestarea,ofwhichapproximately48%isrequiredfortheconstructionoftheproposednorth-southrunway.ThisforestisoneofthelargestremainingstandsofGreyBoxsouthofthedivideandislistedontheAustralianHeritageCommissionRegisteroftheNationalEstate;and
•Apineplantationalongthesouth-easternboundaryoftheairportfromSharpsRoadtoMelroseDrive.
Sometreeremovalmayberequiredtoconstructtheproposedraillinkandpotentiallyarailcarstablingfacility.Theextentoffurtherclearingwillbedeterminedbydevelopmentrequirementsadjacenttotheraillink.ClearingpartoftheGreyBoxForestforrunwayconstructionandprovidingforobstacleclearancerequirementsalsoallowsaparalleltaxiwaytobeconstructedforthefulllengthoftherunway.
Topartlyoff-setfortheproposedremovalofthewesternsectionoftheGreyBoxForest,newplantingof24hectaresisbeingundertakentomaintainandextendtheenvironmentalandvisualamenityofthearea.
Thetreeplantationalongthesouth-easternboundaryoftheairportwasplantedinthe1970sanddoesnotcontainplantvarietiesofsignificance.
Whendevelopmentinthisareatakesplace,anyremovaloftreesalongthisboundarywillbecompensatedforbylandscapinginaccordancewiththeMelbourneAirport“TreeRemovalProcedure”andthe“UrbanLandscapePlantings”guidelinesandthenewFederalrequirementsforlandclearing.
Cultural and Indigenous HeritageThereareanumberofregisteredheritagesitesintheenvironsoftheairport,threeofwhichoccurontheairport.ThesearetheGreyBoxForestarea,theformersiteofStMary’sChurchandtheKeilorArchaeologicalsites.
Aculturalheritagesurveyin2005identifiednumeroussitesinthe(westerncorner)ofMelbourneAirport.Aconservationzonehasbeenestablishedtoensurenofuturedevelopmentoccursatthissite.PreviousAboriginalandEuropeanculturalheritagesurveyofthenorthernpartoftheairport,includingtheGreyBoxForestarea,wereundertakenin1995.AboriginalsitesandHistoricArchaeologicalsiteswererecordedduringthestudy.AirportdevelopmentintheseareaswillbeprecededbyfurtherarchaeologicalworkandAboriginalconsultation.
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Construction ImpactsContractorsarerequiredtoassesstheiractivitiesagainstpotentialenvironmentalimpactandwhererequireddevelopandimplementcontrolstoeithereliminateorsignificantlyreducetheirimpactupontheenvironmenttothesatisfactionofMelbourneAirportandtheAirportEnvironmentOfficer.Theairportoperator’sconsentprocesscoversarangeofissues,frombuildingenvelopesandarchitecturetolandscapingandtheneedfordevelopmentandongoingoperationstobeconductedinaccordancewiththeMelbourneAirportEnvironmentPolicy.
Constructionimpactswhichareaddressedduringtheplanninganddocumentationphaseforprojectscanarisefrom:
•Soilerosion;
•Openingandoperatingborrowandfillareas;
•Generationofdust;
•Increaseinheavyvehicleuseofairportexternalandinternalaccessroads;and
•Noisefromequipmentoperation.
AllprojectsareassessedfortheneedtohaveaconstructionEnvironmentalManagementPlan(EMP)and/oranoperationalEMP.ConstructionEMPsarerequiredtoincludeallrelevantaspectsandimpactsoftheproject.MelbourneAirportcontracttendersareevaluatedfortheirenvironmentalimpactbeforeprojectsareapproved.Alifecycleapproachtothereviewofcontractorperformanceisundertaken.
Environmentcontrolmeasuresalsoincludegrading,topsoilingandgrassingforspoilareas,requirementsforwateringwithnon-potablewaterequipmenttominimisedust,maintainingaccessroadsclearofdebrisandhoursforequipmentoperationforprojectsinareassensitivetonoise.Thisplanispreparedandsubmittedbytheconstructioncompanyandoutlinestheenvironmentalimpactsassociatedwithconstructionoftheproject,measuresinplacetomanageenvironmentalimpactsidentified,andimplementationoftrainingandmonitoringprogramsnecessaryfortheproject.TheplanisassessedandapprovedbyMelbourneAirport.
Climate change and Ecological Sustainable DesignBytheendof2009,AustraliaPacificAirports(Melbourne)willhaveidentifieditscarbonfootprintandmappedthejourneytowardszerocarbonemissions.MelbourneAirportwillcontinuetoundertakeinitiativestoensureairportexpansionachievesa25%reductioninenergyusagepersquaremetreofAPAMmanagedandcontrolledterminalareasby2013.InthelastEnvironmentStrategyperiodMelbourneAirportdevelopedandimplementedanEnergyManagementPlantomaximisetheenergyefficiencieswithinitsfacilities.ToensureMelbourneAirportmaintainsenergyefficiencyEcologicalSustainableDesign(ESD)principlesaretobeadoptedtoaddressdevelopmentprojectsatMelbourneAirportduringthenextfiveyears.
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Stormwater QualityFacilitiesandproceduresareinplaceforstormwaterqualitymonitoring.
ThelongtermeffectsonstormwaterthatarisefromMelbourneAirportdevelopmentinclude:
•Increasesinsurfacerunoffcausedbythecreationoflargeimperviousareassuchasrunways,taxiways,aprons,buildings,roadsandcarparks;and
•Diversionandconcentrationofsurfaceandsub-surfaceflowsbytheconstructionofairfieldworks,buildingsanddrainageworks.
Intheprojectimplementationprocess,detaileddesignmustincorporateappropriateengineeringsolutionstotheselongtermeffectstomitigatepotentialdownstreamfloodingproblems.WaterSensitiveUrbanDesign(WSUD)principleswillalsobeincorporatedintothedesign,wherefeasible,totreatrunofffromrunwaysandtaxiwaysatsource.
Adrainagestudyofthesouthernandsouth-easternareasoftheairport,whereextensivedevelopmentsareplannedduringthenext20years,hasbeenundertakentoprovideadrainagestrategy(2007)fortheseareas.Thisdrainagestrategyprovidesfor:
•Futureconstructionofthreeretardingbasins;
•Progressiveprovision,toservicedevelopments,ofundergroundtrunkdrainageinaccordancewiththedrainageplan;
•Asrequiredmaintenancetounlineddrainstocontrolerosion;and
•Aprogramtorelocateundergroundstormwaterdrainsasdevelopmentprogresses.
ThenaturaldrainagepatternformostofthesoutheasternandsouthernareasoftheairportdirectsdischargestoSteeleCreek.MelbourneWaterhasplaceddischargelimitsonthethreeSteeleCreeksub-catchmentareastoavoidfloodingofresidentialandindustrialdevelopmentdownstream.Theconstructionoftheretardingbasinswillbetimedtoensurethatthedischargelimitsarenotexceeded.TheexistingthreepipedoutletsforstormwaterentryintoArundelCreekaredesignedtoprovideforenergydissipationandtrappingofpollutants.Theseoutletsareadequatetocopewiththeincreasesinstormwaterdischargethatwillarisefromanexpansionofimperviousareasfromworkstoprovideincrementalcapacityincreasesinaprons,taxiwaysandbuildingswithintheArundelCreekcatchmentontheairport.
ThestormwaterdrainageoutflowintoArundelCreekfromtheconstructionofathirdrunwaywillsignificantlyincrease,buttheimpactofthisdischargewillnotbesignificantinvolumetrictermsrelativetotheannualdischargeoftheMaribyrnongRiver.Runwaydesignprovisionswillprovideforpollutionanderosioncontrolsonwaterdischarge.
IncreaseinstormwaterdischargetoMooneePondsCreekandtheDeepCreeksystemfromproposedprojectswillberelativelysmallandwillbeprovidedforbyappropriatewatersensitiveurbandesignofdrainageandoutfall.
ConstructionperiodsforprojectspotentiallyhaveshorttermeffectsonstormwaterdischargethatwillbemanagedbytheStormwaterManagementPlanandregularon-siteauditsbyMelbourneAirportandtheAirportEnvironmentOfficer.
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