uitkomst colliery pty ltd: integrated water & waste … · 2020. 10. 20. · uitkomst colliery pty...

UITKOMST COLLIERY PTY LTD:

INTEGRATED WATER & WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN

SUBMITTED IN SUPPORT OF A WATER USE LICENSE

AMENDMENT: 07/V30B/AG/357

FILE NO.: 16/2/7/V301/C/29

DISCLAIMER

This report has been prepared by Cabanga Concepts, trading as Cabanga Environmental,

with all reasonable skill, care and diligence within the terms of the contract with the client,

and taking into account of the resources devoted to it by agreement with the client. We

disclaim any responsibility to the client and any other in respect of any matters outside the

scope of the project.

This report is confidential to the client and we accept no responsibility of whatsoever nature

to third parties to whom this report, or any part thereof, is made known. Any such parties rely

on the report at their own risk.

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Author: J. Barrett (BSc) Signature:

Date: 21-04-2017

Approval: K.C.van Rooyen (MSc)

Pr.Sci.Nat

Signature:

Date: 25-04-2017

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UITKOMST COLLIERY: IWWMP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 ACTIVITY BACKGROUND........................................................................................................... 1

1.2 APPLICANT DETAILS .................................................................................................................... 1

1.3 REGIONAL & LOCAL SETTING ................................................................................................... 2

1.4 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................... 2

1.5 PURPOSE OF THE IWWMP .......................................................................................................... 3

2. CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE ACTIVITY .......................................................................................... 8

2.1 DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY ........................................................................................................ 8

2.2 EXTENT OF ACTIVITY ................................................................................................................... 8

2.3 KEY ACTIVITY RELATED PROCESSES & PRODUCTS................................................................. 8

2.4 ACTIVITY LIFE DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 9

2.5 ACTIVITY INFRASTRUCTURE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................. 11

2.5.1 South Mine ................................................................................................................................ 11

2.5.2 Klipspruit Mine ........................................................................................................................... 14

2.6 KEY WATER USES & WASTE STREAMS ..................................................................................... 16

2.7 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ............................................................................................... 17

2.8 BUSINESS & CORPORATE POLICIES ........................................................................................ 17

3. REGULATORY WATER & WASTE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK .................................................. 18

3.1 SUMMARY OF ALL WATER USES .............................................................................................. 18

3.2 EXISTING LAWFUL WATER USES ............................................................................................... 24

3.3 RELEVANT EXEMPTIONS ........................................................................................................... 24

3.4 GENERAL AUTHORISATIONS ................................................................................................... 25

3.5 AMENDMENTS TO EXISTING USES ........................................................................................... 25

3.6 NEW WATER USES TO BE LICENSED ........................................................................................ 28

3.7 WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES (NEM:WA) & AUTHORISATIONS ................................. 29

3.8 OTHER AUTHORISATIONS & REGULATIONS........................................................................... 30

4. PRESENT ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION ........................................................................................... 31

4.1 CLIMATE ..................................................................................................................................... 31

4.1.1 Regional Climate ..................................................................................................................... 31

4.1.2 Rainfall ....................................................................................................................................... 31

4.1.3 Evaporation .............................................................................................................................. 31

4.2 SURFACE WATER (Letsolo, 2016) ............................................................................................ 32

4.2.1 Water Management Area (WMA 7) .................................................................................... 32

4.2.2 Mean Annual Runoff (MAR) .................................................................................................. 32

4.2.3 Flood peaks & volumes .......................................................................................................... 33

4.2.4 Surface Water Quality ............................................................................................................ 35

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4.2.5 Resource Class & River Health .............................................................................................. 39

4.2.6 Receiving Water Quality Objectives & Reserve ................................................................ 47

4.2.7 Surface water User Survey ..................................................................................................... 48

4.3 SENSITIVE AREAS SURVEY ........................................................................................................ 49

4.4 GROUNDWATER (Future Flow, 2017) .................................................................................... 58

4.4.1 Aquifer Characterisation ........................................................................................................ 58

Upper weathered material aquifer: .............................................................................................. 58

Lower fractured rock aquifer: ........................................................................................................ 59

4.4.2 Hydrocensus ............................................................................................................................. 59

4.4.3 Potential Pollution Source Identification ............................................................................. 64

4.4.4 Groundwater Model Results: Operational .......................................................................... 64

Groundwater contamination: ........................................................................................................ 66

4.4.5 Groundwater Model Results: Long Term Post Operations ............................................... 71

Recovery of groundwater levels and decant potential: .......................................................... 71

Contaminant migration: .................................................................................................................. 71

4.5 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................................... 75

5. ANALYSIS & CHARACTERISATION OF WATER USE ACTIVITY ....................................................... 77

5.1 SITE DELINEATION FOR CHARACTERIZATION ....................................................................... 77

5.2 WATER &WASTE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................ 77

5.2.1 Process Water ........................................................................................................................... 79

5.2.2 Storm Water .............................................................................................................................. 82

5.2.3 Groundwater ............................................................................................................................ 83

5.2.4 Potable & Domestic Water Supply ....................................................................................... 83

5.2.5 Water Balance ......................................................................................................................... 84

5.2.6 Waste ......................................................................................................................................... 86

5.3 OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................... 87

5.4 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE ............................................................................................... 87

5.5 RESOURCES & COMPETENCE ................................................................................................. 88

5.6 EDUCATION & TRAINING ........................................................................................................ 88

5.6.1 Training Needs .......................................................................................................................... 88

5.6.2 Specialised Skills ....................................................................................................................... 88

5.6.3 Review of Training Material ................................................................................................... 88

5.6.4 Records ...................................................................................................................................... 89

5.7 INTERNAL & EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION .......................................................................... 93

5.8 AWARENESS TRAINING ............................................................................................................ 93

5.9 MONITORING & CONTROL ..................................................................................................... 93

5.9.1 Surface water Monitoring ...................................................................................................... 93

5.9.2 Groundwater Monitoring ....................................................................................................... 95

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5.9.3 Biomonitoring............................................................................................................................ 96

5.9.4 Waste Monitoring..................................................................................................................... 97

5.9.5 Supplementary Monitoring Systems ..................................................................................... 97

5.10 RISK ASSESSMENT ...................................................................................................................... 98

5.11 ISSUES & RESPONSES FROM PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS...................................... 108

5.12 ASSESSMENT OF LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE OF INFORMATION .......................................... 112

6. WATER & WASTE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................. 112

6.1 WATER & WASTE MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY ................................................................. 112

6.2 STRATEGIES .............................................................................................................................. 113

6.3 PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES & GOALS .............................................................................. 114

6.3.1 Environmental Objectives and Goals ................................................................................ 114

6.3.2 Closure Objectives ................................................................................................................ 114

6.4 MEASURES TO ACHIEVE & SUSTAIN PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES .................................. 114

6.5 OPTION ANALYSES & MOTIVATION FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PREFERRED OPTIONS 116

6.6 IWWMP ACTION PLAN ........................................................................................................... 116

Immediate to Short-Term Actions: ............................................................................................... 116

Short-Term Actions: ......................................................................................................................... 116

Medium-Term Actions: ................................................................................................................... 116

Long-Term Actions .......................................................................................................................... 117

6.7 CONTROL & MONITORING ................................................................................................... 117

6.8 MONITORING OF CHANGE IN BASELINE ............................................................................ 117

6.9 AUDIT & REPORT ON PERFORMANCE MEASURES ............................................................. 117

6.10 AUDIT AND REPORT ON RELEVANT OF IWWMP ACTION PLAN ...................................... 118

6.3.3 Other Performance Assessments ........................................................................................ 118

7. CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................. 121

7.1 REGULATORY STATUS OF ACTIVITY ...................................................................................... 121

7.2 STATEMENT OF WATER USES REQUIRING AUTHORISATION, DISPENSING WITH LICENSING REQUIREMENT & POSSIBLE EXEMPTION FROM REGULATION ....................................................... 125

8. REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................... 126

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Contact Details ........................................................................................................................... 1

Table 2: Property Details ........................................................................................................................... 2

Table 3: Project Summary ......................................................................................................................... 8

Table 4 Summary of all water uses ........................................................................................................ 19

Table 5: Application for GN704 Exemption ......................................................................................... 24

Table 6: Summary of existing licensed uses and applicable amendment ................................... 25

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Table 7: Summary of new water uses to be licensed ........................................................................ 28

Table 8: Mean monthly temperature, rainfall and precipitation (Station: Utrecht - V3E004) ... 31

Table 9: Delineated Catchments .......................................................................................................... 32

Table 10: Mean Annual Runoff (MAR) .................................................................................................. 33

Table 11: Summary of calculations ....................................................................................................... 33

Table 12: Baseline Water Quality Results, November 2015 .............................................................. 37

Table 13: Biomonitoring results (High Flow/Wet Season 2016) ......................................................... 43

Table 14: Biomonitoring results (Low Flow/Dr Season 2016) ............................................................. 45

Table 15: Overview of water availability and use in the Buffalo River Key Area ......................... 47

Table 16: Wetland systems occurring in MRA (Hydro Pedo, 2017) ................................................. 53

Table 17: Hydrocensus results ................................................................................................................. 62

Table 18: Groundwater inflow volumes into the underground mining area ................................ 66

Table 19: Demographics (Source: www.localgovernment.co.za) ................................................. 75

Table 20 MRDS Facility Specifications .................................................................................................. 82

Table 21: Water Balance ........................................................................................................................ 85

Table 22: Proposed waste management strategy on site ............................................................... 86

Table 23: Environmental Awareness Training Requirements ............................................................ 90

Table 24: Risk / Impact Assessment Summary .................................................................................. 100

Table 25: Issues & Response Summary ............................................................................................... 109

Table 26: Measures to Achieve and Sustain Performance Objectives ....................................... 114

Table 27: Monitoring Plan ..................................................................................................................... 118

Table 28 Status of water uses ............................................................................................................... 121

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Simplified process diagram (SLR, 2015) ................................................................................. 9

Figure 2: Current infrastructure at South Mine: Adit 1 (aerial photograph supplied by ESS

Survey, April 2017) .................................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 3: Proposed layout of Klipspruit Adit 2 (ESS, April 2017) ........................................................ 15

Figure 4: Proposed of Klipspruit Adit 2 in relation to the existing old, PCD (Google Earth, 2016) .

.............................................................................................................................................................. 16

Figure 5: Uitkomst Colliery BEE Organogram (Source: Pan African Resources PLC) ................... 17

Figure 6: NFEPA Wetland of relevance on site (SANBI, 2015) .......................................................... 40

Figure 7: Quaternary catchment areas and fish support areas of relevance on site (SANBI,

2015) ........................................................................................................................................................... 41

Figure 8: KZN aquatic biodiversity zones of relevance on site (SANBI, 2014) ............................... 41

Figure 9: KZN terrestrial biodiversity areas in relation to the mineral boundary ........................... 50

Figure 10: Mining Right Area in relation to Important Bird Areas (Harvey, 2017) ......................... 52

Figure 11: Depth to groundwater level ................................................................................................ 60

Figure 12: Topographical vs. groundwater elevation plot ............................................................... 61

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Figure 13: Project Conceptualisation and operational hierarchy .................................................. 78

Figure 14: Existing Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1 Stockpiles ............................................................................. 81

Figure 15: Organogram for the implementation of the IWWMP ..................................................... 87

LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: MINING RIGHT .................................................................................................................. 127

APPENDIX 2: CONFIRMATION OF BEE STATUS .................................................................................... 127

APPENDIX 3: APPROVED WATER USE LICENSE ................................................................................... 127

APPENDIX 4: ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORISATION .............................................................................. 127

APPENDIX 5: SECOND QUARTER WATER MONITORING REPORT .................................................... 127

APPENDIX 6: WETLAND REPORT ............................................................................................................ 127

APPENDIX 7: AQUATIC BIOMONITORING REPORTS (2016) .............................................................. 127

APPENDIX 8: GROUNDWATER REPORT ................................................................................................ 127

APPENDIX 9: PROOF OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ............................................................................... 127

APPENDIX 10: ENGINEERING REPORTS / DESIGNS ............................................................................. 127

APPENDIX 11: MASTER PLAN ................................................................................................................. 127

APPENDIX 12: PROOF OF PAYMENT .................................................................................................... 127

APPENDIX 13: WATER USE LICENSE FORMS ......................................................................................... 127

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 ACTIVITY BACKGROUND

Uitkomst Colliery has an approved water use license, License No. 07/V30B/AG/357, issued in

terms of the National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998 for certain uses associated with its

underground mining operations. The license was issued in the name of Brandywine Valley

Investments (Pty) Ltd, on the 26 November 2011.

In terms of Point 5 of the Water Use License conditions, the license is valid for a period of ten

(10) years, to be reviewed every two (2) years.

This Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan (IWWMP) is being submitted following

the biennial review of the existing water use license, and addresses the amendments

required to this license. Furthermore, this IWWMP addresses additional water uses associated

with the recently acquired Klipspruit reserves.

1.2 APPLICANT DETAILS

Operations commenced at Uitkomst Colliery in 2006 under the ownership of Brandywine

Valley Investments (Pty) Ltd.

Blue Falcon 232 Trading (Pty) Ltd acquired Brandywine Valley Investments (Pty) Ltd in April

2015, and applied for a Section102 in terms of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources

Development Act, Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA) to consolidate the mineral rights of Uitkomst

Colliery with those of the proposed Klipspruit Mine. Approval of the Section 102 was issued in

May 2016 (Mining Right Amendment No.: KZN 30/5/1/2/2/21 MR and 94 MR).

Pan African Resources PLC acquired Blue Falcon 232 Trading (Pty) Ltd taking effective

control of the operations on 1 April 2016, and subsequently ceded the mineral rights to its

subsidiary Uitkomst Colliery (Pty) Ltd (APPENDIX 1).

Table 1: Contact Details

Name of Applicant Uitkomst Colliery (Pty) Ltd

General Manager Johan Gloy

E-mail [email protected]

Telephone +27 (0) 87 285 1177

+27 (0) 82 857 8842

Fax +27 (0) 86 683 7018

Physical Address Uitkomst Farm, 27 km off R34 from Newcastle

to Utrecht, KwaZulu Natal

mailto:[email protected]:%2B27%20%280%29%2086%20683%207018

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1.3 REGIONAL & LOCAL SETTING

The Uitkomst Colliery is located approximately 25 km northeast of Newcastle and 24 km

northwest of Utrecht, in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province. The operations fall within the Utrecht

Local Municipality of the Amajuba District Municipality (see Plan 1).

The area falls within the Tugela Primary catchment (WMA 7), and underground mining will

span across the V32B and V31D quaternary sub catchments (Plan 3). The receiving water

bodies are the Kweekspruit and the Doringspruit. Water drains from this area into the Buffels

River, which is a tributary of the Tugela River. Drainage is predominantly in a southerly

direction.

1.4 PROPERTY DESCRIPTION

The overall mineral area comprises of 11,169.0386 Ha, of which it is anticipated that

approximately 1,100 Ha will be affected by underground mining. Plan 2 indicates the extent

of the mining right area in relation to the underground mining and Adit areas.

Table 2 summarises those property applicable to the current and proposed water uses only.

Table 2: Property Details

Farm Name & Portion: Property Owner: Title Deed: Extent (Ha): Comment:

Kweekspruit 22 HT

Portion 3

Qophumlando

Property

Association

T34345/2003 193.4563 Leased by applicant

Kweekspruit 22 HT

Portion 8

Qophumlando

Property

Association


Uitkomst 95 HT

Portion 5

Qophumlando

Property

Association


Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 23

Welgedacht

Exploration Co. Ltd

T2215/1990 192 Applicant in process

of purchasing

Rustverwacht 151 HT

Portion 16

Welgedacht

Exploration Co. Ltd

T29820/1991 188.5148 Undermining only

Rustverwacht 151 HT

Portion 3

Brandywine Valley

Investments (Pty)

Ltd

T14876/2008 188.5148 Applicant in process

of purchasing

Rustverwacht 151 HT

Portion 4

Nicolaas Schoeman

De Jager


Rustverwacht 151 HT

Portion 15

Nicolaas Schoeman

De Jager


Vaalbank 103 HT

Portion 1

Vaalbank Trust T16362/1989 517.5222 Undermining only

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Farm Name & Portion: Property Owner: Title Deed: Extent (Ha): Comment:

Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 16

Vaalbank Trust T1495/1989 214.1330 Undermining only

Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 6

National

Government of

South Africa


Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 11

National

Government of

South Africa


Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 13

National

Government of

South Africa


Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 14

National

Government of

South Africa


Klipspruit 178 HT

Portion 18

National

Government of

South Africa


1.5 PURPOSE OF THE IWWMP

The purpose of the IWWMP is to provide the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation

(DWS) with the necessary information to amend the integrated water use license for the

Uitkomst Colliery, to correctly reflect the current and future water uses on site.

The objectives of the IWWMP are to achieve holistic, resource focused water and waste

management on site, as well as to achieve compliance with the NWA. It also expands on a

monitoring system which will allow early detection of impacts, as well as proposed actions

that should be considered should monitoring activities indicate environmental issues.

As monitoring activities proceed and annual audits are conducted, on-site management

and monitoring may change. Changes may also occur through new legislation, new

technology or improved monitoring or management practices. This will result in the IWWMP

becoming an active document which will be regularly updated through the life of the mine.

In summary the IWWMP is:

A legal requirement;

Takes into consideration:

o Legislative requirements, such as GN704;

o Environmental requirements such as the water quality guidelines and resource

objectives;

o Best practices available at the time for implementation and design of

management features and water- and waste-related infrastructure and

activities;

o Uitkomst Colliery’s environmental policies; and

o Closure objectives for the site.

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The IWWMP outline has been formatted in line with the Regulations regarding the procedural

requirements for Water Use License Application and Appeals, published 24 March 2017.

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Plan 1: Regional Setting

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Plan 2: Local Setting

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Plan 3: Quaternary Catchments

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2. CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE ACTIVITY

2.1 DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY

The project description given below entails a general description of operations for the full life

of mine. Table 3 below summarises the project details.

Table 3: Project Summary

Mineral: Coal

Status of Project: Brownfields

South Mine: Uitkomst Adit Area – active since 2006

Klipspruit Mine – mined historically by Kangra Coal (Pty) Ltd between 1987 -

1991

Mining Method: Underground bord-and-pillar method accessed via a boxcut adit

Resource Estimate: 26 Million tons

Production Rate: 65,000 tons/month

Plant Design

Capacity:

75,000 tons/month

Estimated Life of

Mine:

18 years

Depth of Mining: Average depth 135 m

Gus coal seam varies from 18 – 355 m

2.2 EXTENT OF ACTIVITY

The overall mineral area comprises of 11,169.0386 Ha, of which it is anticipated that

approximately 1,100 Ha will be affected by underground mining. Plan 2 indicates the extent

of the mining right area in relation to the underground mining and Adit areas.

Infrastructure and surface disturbance will be limited to the Adit areas, with the exception of

a 22kv overhead powerline that will run from the Klipspruit Adit to the Uitkomst Adit.

2.3 KEY ACTIVITY RELATED PROCESSES & PRODUCTS

Coal is mined via underground bord-and-pillar methods. Mined coal is conveyed to surface

where it is temporarily stockpiled before being fed to the existing plant for processing. The

coal is fed to the primary crusher where it is crushed and then transported via conveyor to

the screening section in order to achieve the required product specifications. Oversized

material is sent to the secondary crushing section. Correctly sized material is then fed to the

beneficiation plant.

The beneficiation plant includes a spiral section (-1.5 mm) and a dense medium cyclone

section (+1.5 to -40mm). A product screening section provides the different size gradings for

the various markets.

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The discard from the plant is trucked to the co-disposal facility, while slurry is pumped to

surface ponds on the co-disposal facility. The slurry is reclaimed and sold to interested

markets where possible. This co-disposal facility is also referred to as the Mine

Residue Disposal Site (MRDS). The figure below depicts a simplified diagram of the key

activity processes (SLR, 2015).

Figure 1: Simplified process diagram (SLR, 2015)

2.4 ACTIVITY LIFE DESCRIPTION

The project can be divided into four phases, namely, the construction phase where

applicable to new mining areas/infrastructure, the operational phase, decommissioning

phase and post closure phase. The activities associated with these phases are listed below

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CONSTRUCTION PHASE (APPLICABLE TO KLIPSPRUIT ONLY)

Establishment of construction contractors lay down area

Removal of herbaceous material with soil stripping & stockpiling

Construction of access road

Erection of water management features: Clean & dirty water berms & trenches

Upgrade & extension of existing Pollution Control Dam (PCD)

Installation & use of conservancy tanks

Construction/installation of support services: offices, change house, lamp room, laundry, workshops,

washbays, stores, hard park area, access control, security & weighbridge

Construction/installation of diesel & hydrocarbon storage & handling facilities

Waste generation & storage (domestic & industrial)

Installation of light masts

Preparation and construction of boxcut adit & ventilation

Preparation of stockpile area & installation of conveyor

Erection of in-pit infrastructure (sumps and pumps etc.)

OPERATIONAL PHASE

Operation of water management features

Upgrade & repair of Uitkomst PCD and RWD

Utilisation of roads & conveyor lines

Bord & pillar mining

Dewatering and pumping activities

Stockpiling activities

Coal processing (crushing, screening & beneficiation)

Discard & slurry handling

Expansion of Uitkomst MRDS

Ongoing rehabilitation of the MRDS

Utilisation of support services: offices, change house, lamp room, laundry, workshops, washbays, stores,

hard park area, access control, security & weighbridge

Diesel & hydrocarbon storage & handling

Sewage handling

Lighting

Storage & handling of explosives

Waste generation & storage (domestic & industrial)

Trucking/transportation of coal

DECOMMISSIONING PHASE

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Dismantling, removal & rehabilitation of unnecessary infrastructure

Underground support & sealing of underground mining areas

Backfilling the boxcut adit

Site clean-up; removal of waste & carbonaceous material

Overall rehabilitation of all disturbed areas (ripping, top soiling & seeding)

Capping, profiling & vegetating the MRDS

Restoration of natural drainage patterns as far as possible

Initiation of aftercare & maintenance program

POST CLOSURE

Managing the site for post mining impacts to prevent further pollution

Application for closure certificate

2.5 ACTIVITY INFRASTRUCTURE DESCRIPTION

Uitkomst Colliery can essentially be divided into two sections, namely:

South Mine; and

Klipspruit Mine

The section below details the infrastructure associated with each of these areas.

2.5.1 South Mine

Operations commenced at the South Mine in 2006, the underground workings are accessed

via a boxcut-adit (known as the Uitkomst Adit or Adit 1) cut into the hill slope in a north

westerly direction. The adit was constructed into the mountain to allow for access to the Gus

coal seam. Topsoil has been removed and stockpiled to the north east of the boxcut. The

hards and softs from the boxcut were utilised to construct a platform on the low wall side

(south east side) of the boxcut to accommodate the coal processing and load out activities.

The Adit and associated infrastructure area comprises approximately 37 Ha, and includes the

following infrastructure (seeFigure 2):

Box cut and adit;

Soils and spoils stockpiles;

Crushing and Screening plant;

Beneficiation plant;

Product and RoM stockpiles;

MRDS/Co-Disposal Dump;

Settling dams;

RWD;

PCD;

Security, access control and weighbridge;

Offices, workshops and contractors laydown area;

Change houses, lamp room, laundry and ablution facilities;

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Scrap yard and waste storage area; and

Fuel and oil storage area.

No additional infrastructure is envisaged for this area. It is however expected that the MRDS

will need to be extended in future to cater for the additional life of mine (LoM).

The water management facilities, including the pollution control dam (PCD) and Return

Water Dam (RWD) were recently accessed by a registered engineer. The findings of the

assessment indicate that the design capacity of the designs are sufficient however, these are

heavily silted and need to be cleared out and reinstated to the original capacities (Davel,

2017).

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Figure 2: Current infrastructure at South Mine: Adit 1 (aerial photograph supplied by ESS

Survey, April 2017)

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2.5.2 Klipspruit Mine

The Klipspruit Mine was historically mined, but no infrastructure other than the remnants of an

old Pollution Control Dam (PCD) and an Eskom sub-station remain on site.

It is anticipated that the Klipspruit reserves will be accessed via two adits, Adit 2 and Adit 3.

See Plan 2 for the position of these in relation to the mining right and underground areas. The

position of Adit 3 has been approximated and will be finalised in future on completion of the

necessary feasibility studies; as such the mining and operations of Klipspruit Mine will be

approached in two phases.

Phase I: Adit 2

It is anticipated that the coal from Adit 2 will be trucked to the South Mine (Uitkomst Adit 1)

for processing, using the existing road system. Thus, it is expected that the infrastructure at

Adit 2 will be limited to that associated with underground mining only (i.e. no processing)

and comprising a total of 21Ha. The following infrastructure is currently envisaged:

Access road;

Mini substation and overhead lines, including a line running from Adit 2 to Adit1 (see

Plan 2);

Box cut and adit;

Soils and spoils stockpiles;

Run of mine stockpiles;

Clean and dirty water management facilities;

Security, access control and weighbridge;

Offices, workshops and contractors laydown area;

Change houses, lamp room, laundry and ablution facilities;

Scrap yard and waste storage area; and

Fuel and oil storage area.

Adit 2 and the associated infrastructure will be located within the area previously disturbed

and rehabilitated by Kangra Coal (Pty) Ltd, as such it is envisaged that the existing, old PCD

can be refurbished for utilisation (see Figure 3).

Phase II: Adit 3

Once the position of Adit 3 is finalised, it is likely that a full scale wash plant and associated

infrastructure (MRDS) will be required at the Klipspruit Mine.

Note: Phase II has been excluded from the scope of this IWUL Amendment. A separate water

use license will need to be applied for once the position of Adit 3 and associated

infrastructure is finalised.

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Figure 3: Proposed layout of Klipspruit Adit 2 (ESS, April 2017)

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Figure 4: Proposed of Klipspruit Adit 2 in relation to the existing old, PCD (Google Earth, 2016)

2.6 KEY WATER USES & WASTE STREAMS

The key water uses are:

21(a): Taking water from a water resource;

21(b): Storage of water;

21(c): Impeding or diverting the flow of a watercourse;

21(i): Altering the bed, banks, course or characteristics of a watercourse;

21(g): Disposing of a waste in a manner which may detrimentally impact on a water

resource; and

21(j): Removing, discharging or disposing of water found underground if it is

necessary for the efficient continuation of an activity or for the safety of people.

The waste streams generated are:

General Waste:

o Domestic/office waste (incl. paper, plastic, glass);

o Uncontaminated PPE;

o Food waste;

o Uncontaminated building rubble;

o Wood;

o Scrap metal; and

o Old tyres and conveyor belts.

Hazardous waste:

o Hydrocarbon waste;

o Mine residue;

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o Batteries;

o Organic compounds and solvents (reagents, chemicals etc.)

o WEEE waste (electrical and electronic equipment, cartridges etc.)

o Contaminated soils, metals, plastic, rubber and wood; and

o Explosives waste.

Sewage.

2.7 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Uitkomst Colliery (Pty) Ltd is a subsidiary of Pan African Resources PLC. Uitkomst Colliery is

currently in the process of verifying its BEE status; please refer to APPENDIX 2for a letter to this

effect. An organogram depicting the organisational and BEE ownership is depicted below in

Figure 5.

Figure 5: Uitkomst Colliery BEE Organogram (Source: Pan African Resources PLC)

2.8 BUSINESS & CORPORATE POLICIES

The business and corporate policies have been developed around the internal Safety, Health

and Environmental Policy which elaborates on commitments of the company to employees,

the environment and resources, and includes constitutional matters such as the right to an

environment that is not harmful to an individual and sustainability of environmental resources

44

ORGANOGRAM OF BEE SHAREHOLDING

Pan African Resources PLC

Pan African Resources Coal Holdings (Pty) Ltd

Uitkomst Colliery (Pty) Ltd Mcijo Trust

Uitkomst Colliery Community Trust

Uitkomst Colliery Employee Trust

Uitkomst Colliery

PAR Gold (Pty) Ltd

22,5%

BEE effective interest

of 29,5% in the

Uitkomst Mine

5%

2%

2%

100%

91%

18 | P a g e


for future generations. Generally the policy has been compiled to ensure that Uitkomst

Colliery:

Complies with all relevant laws, regulations, and standards regarding safety, health

and the environment.

Constantly monitors and manages the effects of mining in order to prevent pollution,

environmental degradation, ill health and damage to property.

Maintains open communication between all employees and affected parties

regarding all aspects of the operation.

Employs staff competent in their areas of responsibility regarding safety, health and

the environment on all the properties.

Provides staff with the relevant training required to complete their tasks in an

environmentally responsible manner through environmental awareness training.

Ensures proper organisational structure, communication procedures and resources

are available to staff to allow them to undertake their tasks in an environmentally

responsible manner.

Compiles environmental emergency procedures and ensures staff is adequately

trained in these procedures to ensure a high level of emergency preparedness for

potential on-site emergencies.

3. REGULATORY WATER & WASTE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

3.1 SUMMARY OF ALL WATER USES

The NWA regulates water use within South Africa. In terms of Chapter 4 and Section 22 of the

NWA a person may only use water –

Without a license if that water use is permissible in under Schedule 1; is a continuation

of an existing lawful use; or if it falls under the ambit of a General Authorisation.

If the water use is licensed under the NWA.

If the responsible authority has dispensed with a license requirement under subsection

(3) of the NWA.

Uitkomst Colliery has an approved water use license for certain existing uses on site. See

attached, APPENDIX 3 for a copy of the approved license. Changes to the current and

future water uses have however since been identified for the operation and as such this IWUL

Amendment and IWWMP has been compiled.

The table below summarises all the current and proposed water uses for the operations, and

highlights those which require amendments and/or licensing where relevant.

19 | P a g e

Table 4 Summary of all water uses

Ref. Description: S.21 Water

Use:

Property: Co-ordinates: Maximum Volumes:

1. Abstraction from a borehole for

domestic & potable use at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

21(a) Ptn 5 of Uitkomst 95 HT 27˚37’15.81”S

30˚07’21.23”E

5,000m3/annum

2. Abstraction of water from Farm Dam

1 for domestic and mine process use

at Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1

21(a) Ptn 5 of Uitkomst 95 HT 27°36'47.05"S

30°06'59.83"E

5,000m3/annum

3. Abstraction from a borehole for

domestic & potable use at Klipspruit

Adit 2

21(a) Ptn 23 of Klipspruit 178

HT

27°34'16.76"S

30°05'16.03"E

5,000m3/annum

4. Associated with 21(j) – reuse of

underground mine water

Uitkomst/Adit 1)

21(a) Ptn 8 of Kweekspruit 22

HT

27°36'04.05"S

30°08'05.92"E

989,735 m3/annum

5. Associated with 21(j) – reuse of

underground mine water (Klipspruit

Adit 2)


HT

27°34'39.43"S

30°05'22.73"E

6. Abstraction from a borehole drilled

into the old Klipspruit workings for use

as process water


HT

27°34'5.53"S

30°05'24.73"E

180,000 m3/annum

7. Reservoir 1: Storage of water for

domestic & potable use Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1 (receives water from

borehole & Farm Dam 1)

21(b) Ptn 8 of Kweekspruit 22

HT

27°36'09.83"S

30°08'00.35"E

5,000m3/annum

8. Reservoir 2: Storage of water for use

as process water underground

(receives water from Farm Dam 1)

21(b) Ptn 8 of Kweekspruit 22

HT

27°36'09.33"S

30°08'00.64"E

5,000m3/annum

20 | P a g e


Use:


9. Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1 & associated

infrastructure within a non-perennial

and disturbed valley bottom

21(c) & (i) Ptn 3 & 8 of Kweekspruit

22 HT

27°36'04.05"S

30°08'05.92"E

27°36'13.40"S

30°08'16.99"E

27°36'17.34"S

30°08'22.51"E

-

10. Klipspruit Adit & associated

infrastructure

21 | P a g e


Use:


27°34'18.56"S

30°05'50.39"E

27°35'28.76"S

30°06'56.47"E

27°35'54.52"S

30°07'56.82"E

27°36'03.79"S

30°08'02.83"E

27°36'04.75"S

30°08'04.96"E

12. Undermining a water resource 21(c) & (i) Ptn 5 of Uitkomst 95 HT

Ptn 6, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18 & 23 of Klipspruit 178 HT

Ptn 3,4, 6 &15 Rustverwacht 151 HT

Ptn 1 Vaalbank 103 HT

-

13. RoM Coal stockpile at Uitkomst / Adit

1

21(g)

Ptn 3 of Kweekspruit 22

HT

27°36'03.25"S

30°08'08.20"E

Combined: 780,000 tons/annum 14. Coal stockpile area at Uitkomst / Adit

1

21(g)


HT

27°36'03.47"S

30°08'13.23"E

15. Coal stockpile area at Uitkomst / Adit

1

21(g)

Ptn 3 & 8 of Kweekspruit

22 HT

27°36'05.41"S

30°08'10.31"E

22 | P a g e


Use:



1

21(g)


HT

27°36'08.44"S

30°08'07.49"E


1

21(g)


HT

27°36'14.10"S

30°08'04.49"E

18. RoM Coal stockpile area at Klipspruit

Adit 2

21(g)

Ptn 23 of Klipspruit 178

HT

27°34'31.19"S

30°05'21.16"E

Capacity 7,500 m3

19. Dust suppression at Uitkomst Adit/Adit

1

21(g)


22 HT

Ptn 5 of Uitkomst 95 HT

27°36'04.52"S

30°08'08.68"E

27°36'34.88"S

30°07'57.17"E

27°37'06.93"S

30°06'41.93"E

32,400m3/annum

20 Dust suppression at Klipspruit Adit 2 21(g)


HT

27°34'31.46"S

30°05'07.66"E

27°34'22.28"S

30°05'11.45"E

27°34'23.70"S

30°05'19.91"E

32,400m3/annum

23 | P a g e


Use:


27°34'32.75"S

30°05'22.02"E

21 Pollution Control Dam at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1 (currently licensed as RWD

A)

21(g)


22 HT

27°36'13.40"S

30°08'16.99"E

50,238m3/annum

22. Return Water Dam at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1 (currently licensed as RWD

B)

21(g)


HT

27°36'17.34"S

30°08'22.51"E

58,808m3/annum

23. Mine Residue Disposal Site at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1 (currently licensed as

Discard Dump)

21(g)


HT

27°36'19.55"S

30°08'09.10"E

330,000tons/annum

24. Plant Dam A at Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1 -

consisting of two compartments

(currently licensed as settling pond)

21(g)


HT

27°36'06.28"S

30°08'13.43"E

52,647m3/annum

25. Plant Dam B at Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1

(currently licensed as pollution control

dam)

21(g)


22 HT

27°36'08.39"S

30°08'13.58"E

51,4243/annum

26. Pollution Control Dam at Klipspruit

Adit 1

21(g)


HT

27°34'32.49"S

30°0513.27"E

43,854m3/annum

27. Dewatering of the underground

workings at the Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1

21(j) Ptn 8 of Kweekspruit 22

HT

27°36'04.05"S

30°08'05.92"E

989,735 m3/annum

28. Dewatering of the underground

workings at Klipspruit Adit 2

21(j) Ptn 23 of Klipspruit 178

HT

27°34'39.43"S

30°05'22.73"E

24 | P a g e


3.2 EXISTING LAWFUL WATER USES

According to the NWA, an existing lawful water use is defined as follows:

“32.(1) An existing lawful water use means a water use –

(a) Which has taken place at any time during a period of two years immediately

before the date of commencement of this Act; or

(b) Which has been declared an existing lawful water use under section 33, and

which –

(i) Was authorised by or under any law which was in force immediately

before the date of commencement of this Act;

(ii) Is identified as a stream flow reduction activity in section 36(1); or

(iii) Is identified as a controlled activity in section 37(1).

(2) In the case of –

(a) A stream flow reduction activity declared under section 36(1); or

(b) A controlled activity declared under section 38, existing lawful water use

means a water use which has taken place at any time during a period of two

years immediately before the date of the declaration”.

The old PCD located at the Klipspruit Adit 2 area is an existing dam, constructed

within a non-perennial water course. As this water use(s) was in existence prior to

1998, it must be considered as an existing lawful water use.

3.3 RELEVANT EXEMPTIONS

No exemptions have been granted for the operations to date.

The following exemptions are however being sought from GN704.

Table 5: Application for GN704 Exemption

GN 704 Restrictions: Applicability:

4(a) No person in control of a mine may locate

or place any residue deposit, dam, reservoir,

together with an associated structure or any

other facility within the 1:100 year floodline or

within a horizontal distance of 100m from any

watercourse or estuary, borehole or well,

excluding boreholes or wells drilled specifically

to monitor the pollution of groundwater, or on

water-logged ground, or on ground likely to

become water logged, undermined, unstable,

or cracked.

Several wetlands, boreholes and water

courses occur within and around the mining

right area. Where activities have

transgressed these, exemption will be

required.

Areas which require exemption include:

Existing Uitkomst Adit, PCD and RWD are

located within a disturbed valley

bottom.

The existing Klipspruit PCD is located

within a drainage course.

The proposed Klipspruit Adit &

associated infrastructure

25 | P a g e


GN 704 Restrictions: Applicability:

4(b) No person in control of a mine may except

in relation to a matter contemplated in

Regulation 10, carry on any underground or

opencast mining, prospecting or any other

operation or activity under or within 1:50 year

floodline or within a horizontal distance of 100m

from any watercourse or estuary, whichever is

the greatest.

Several wetlands, boreholes and water

courses occur within and around the mining

right area.

Exemption is required for the proposed

undermining of several wetlands.

Future opencast activities will remain outside

the 100m buffer of all wetland areas

however, where current / past activities have

transgressed wetlands exemption will be

required. These include:

The existing Uitkomst Adit and

infrastructure area is located within

disturbed valley bottom.

The proposed Klipspruit Adit &


26 | P a g e


Ref. S.21 Water

Use:

Description: Action

Required:

Currently

Authorised:

Requested

Amendment:

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

Volumes tons/annum 780,000 tons/annum

14. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Coal stockpile

at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

15. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Coal stockpile

at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

16. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Coal stockpile

at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

17. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Coal stockpile

at Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

19. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

Dust

suppression at

Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

Amend

volumes

24, 090m3/annum 32,400m3/annum

27 | P a g e


Ref. S.21 Water

Use:

Description: Action

Required:

Currently

Authorised:

Requested

Amendment:

water course

23. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Mine Residue

Disposal Site at

Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

(currently

licensed as

Discard Dump)

Amend

volumes

83,951m3/annum 330,000tons/annum

24. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Plant Dam A at

Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1 -

consisting of

two

compartments

(currently

licensed as

settling pond)

Amend

throughput

volumes

13,337m3/annum 52,647m3/annum

25. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Plant Dam B at

Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

(currently

licensed as

pollution control

dam)

Amend

throughput

volumes


26. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

Pollution

Control Dam at

Klipspruit Adit 1

License

Extension

n/a 43,854m3/annum

27. 21(j):

Removing

water from

Underground

to Continue

with Safe

Mining

Dewatering of

the

underground

workings at the

Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1

Amend

volumes


24. 21(g):

Disposal of

waste in a

manner that

Slurry dam

within boxcut at

Uitkomst Adit 1

Remove

from water

license

n/a n/a

28 | P a g e


Ref. S.21 Water

Use:

Description: Action

Required:

Currently

Authorised:

Requested

Amendment:

could

detrimentally

impact on a

water course

3.6 NEW WATER USES TO BE LICENSED

Table 7 below summarises the new water uses identified for the operations. Please

refer to Table 4 for details on the location and capacities.

Table 7: Summary of new water uses to be licensed

Ref. S.21 Water Use: Description: Status: Maximum Volume:

2. 21(a): Taking water from

a water resource

Abstraction of water from

Farm Dam 1 for domestic

and mine process use at

Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1

In use 5,000m3/annum


a water resource

Abstraction from a

borehole for domestic &

potable use at Klipspruit

Adit 2

Proposed 5,000m3/annum


a water resource

Associated with 21(j) –

reuse of underground mine

water Klipspruit Adit 2



a water resource

Abstraction from a

borehole drilled into the

old Klipspruit workings for

use at process water


7. 21(b): Storage of water Reservoir 1: Storage of

water for domestic &

potable use Uitkomst

Adit/Adit 1 (receives water

from borehole & Farm Dam

1)


8. 21(b): Storage of water Reservoir 2: Storage of

water for use as process

water underground

(receives water from Farm

Dam 1)


9. 21(c) & (i): Altering beds

and Banks or Diverting or

Altering Flow in a

Watercourse

Uitkomst Adit/Adit 1 &


within a disturbed valley

bottom

In use -

29 | P a g e


Ref. S.21 Water Use: Description: Status: Maximum Volume:

11. 21(c) & (i): Altering beds

and Banks or Diverting or

Altering Flow in a

Watercourse

Proposed overhead line

30 | P a g e


3.8 OTHER AUTHORISATIONS & REGULATIONS

The original Environmental Management Programme (EMP) report for Uitkomst

Colliery was compiled by Clean Stream in 2004. The EMPr covered the underground

bord and pillar mining of Portion 5 of Uitkomst 95 HT; and Portions 3 and 8 of

Kweekspruit 22 HT.

1st Amendment: The EMP was amended in 2006 by Digby Wells & Associates for the

inclusion of additional surface infrastructure associated with the installation of a

beneficiation plant and MRDS.

2nd Amendment: For the inclusion of additional properties (Portion 1 of Uitkomst 95 HT

and Portion 3 (of 1) of Rustverwacht 151 HT) compiled by Geoff Silk Civil & Mining

Consultants , 2008.

The original EMP for Klipspruit was compiled by GCS (2006) for Kangra Coal. The EMP

covered the underground bord and pillar mining of coal on a number of properties to

be accessed via three adits, as well as the crushing, screening and washing of coal

at a centrally located plant.

The above EMP reports were all submitted and approved by the Department of

Mineral Resources (DMR) in terms of the MPRDA. In terms of the transitional

arrangements stipulated in NEMAA all EMPs approved in terms of the MPRDA

immediately prior to the 8th December 2014 constitute environmental authorization in

terms of NEMA. Thus, the original approved EMPs are considered to be environmental

authorisation.

In terms of Section 29 of the NEMA EIA Regulations, a Part 1 Amendment was

submitted by SLR in April 2015. This Amendment referred to the transfer and

consolidation of rights associated with the Section 102 application made in terms of

the MPRDA.

The EMP Amendment consolidates and replaces the previous submissions made by

Brandywine Valley Investments (Pty) Ltd and Kangra Coal (Pty) Ltd, please refer to

APPENDIX 4 for a copy of the approval (environmental authorisation).

31 | P a g e


4. PRESENT ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION

4.1 CLIMATE

4.1.1 Regional Climate

The site falls within the Central KwaZulu Natal climate region and receives

predominantly summer rainfall. Most rains fall between October and March.

Temperatures are mostly moderate in summer, but can reach up to 34°C. Winter is

typically dry. Frosts in winter are common, with minimum temperatures from May to

August around 0°C or below. Table 6 summarises the climatic data for the area.

Table 8: Mean monthly temperature, rainfall and precipitation (Station: Utrecht -

V3E004)

Month Mean Max Temp

(ºC)

Mean Min Temp

(ºC)

Mean Rainfall

(mm)

Mean Evaporation

(mm)

January 29.1 16.3 133.1 107.7

February 27.9 15.5 102.7 88.1

March 27.4 14 76.8 108.6

April 24.8 10.3 28.5 97.9

May 22.6 6.2 12.7 82.6

June 20 2.2 14.6 66.0

July 20.7 2.8 5.7 75.0

August 23 5.8 16.4 76.1

September 25.3 9.8 20.3 57.9

October 26.2 12 87.1 106.1

November 27.4 13.8 88.0 79.6

December 29 15.4 104.2 95.7

Annual Value 25.3 10.3 700.1 1041.3

4.1.2 Rainfall

The site has an average annual rainfall of 700.1 mm (Letsolo, 2016). Most rainfall

occurs during mid-summer, primarily as thunderstorms.

4.1.3 Evaporation

The site has a mean annual evaporation of approximately 1041.3 mm (Letsolo, 2016).

32 | P a g e


4.2 SURFACE WATER (Letsolo, 2016)

4.2.1 Water Management Area (WMA 7)

The study area falls within WMA 7 – Thukela. The Thukela WMA lies predominantly in

the KwaZulu-Natal province. It is a funnel-shaped catchment, with several tributaries

draining from the Drakensberg escarpment towards the Indian Ocean. It is

characterised by mountain streams in the upper reaches, where several parks and

conservation areas are located, as well as a number of important wetlands and vleis.

Rainfall is highest near the mountains and along the coast, and the mean annual

precipitation is in the range from 600 mm to 1 500 mm.

Because of the high mean annual runoff and favourable topography, the Thukela

basin offers some of the best opportunities for water resources development in South

Africa.

4.2.2 Mean Annual Runoff (MAR)

Five (5) site specific catchments were delineated in order to provide site specific

storm water management measures (see Plan 4). The delineated catchment areas

are summarised as follows:

Table 9: Delineated Catchments

Description Surface Area

(km2)

Hydraulic

Length (m)

Change in

height (m)

Significant Water Resource

Catchment 1 23.64 8864 640 Doringspruit

Catchment 2 7.55 5255 200 Unnamed tributary of the

Doringspruit

Catchment 3 34.93 10146 680 Kweekspruit

Catchment 4 23.37 9133 200 Sandspruit

Catchment 5 5.30 1885 80 Unnamed tributary of the

Kweekspruit

The MAR for the study area was sourced from the Water Research Commission

database (WR2005). Table 10 provides activity based MAR for the 5 catchments in

the study area.

33 | P a g e


Table 10: Mean Annual Runoff (MAR)

Description Surface Area (km2) Catchment MAR

(mm/annum)

Calculated MAR

(m3/annum)

Catchment 1 23.64 44.84 1060018

Catchment 2 7.55 44.84 338542

Catchment 3 34.93 50.58 1766759

Catchment 4 23.37 50.58 1182055

Catchment 5 5.3 50.58 268074

4.2.3 Flood peaks & volumes

Flow through the rivers will be largely dependent on rainfall and therefore occur

through summer months. Groundwater reserves from the mountainous areas and

escarpment will feed hillslope seeps and may contribute to flow in the perennial

streams into the dry winter months. During droughts the systems will remain dry.

The flood calculation outputs are summarized in Table 11 for each of the catchments

relevant to the study area.

Table 11: Summary of calculations

Description Surface Area (km2) 1:50 year peak flow

(m3/s)

1:100 year peak

flow (m3/s)

Catchment 1 23.64 245.36 308.68

Catchment 2 7.55 91.90 115.62

Catchment 3 34.93 323.77 407.33

Catchment 4 23.37 173.73 218.57

Catchment 5 5.3 3.46 4.35

34 | P a g e

Plan 4: Effective Catchments

35 | P a g e


4.2.4 Surface Water Quality

The water quality has been discussed in terms of the baseline data for Klipspruit Mine

obtained during the recent assessment conducted by Letsolo and the existing water quality

monitoring programme at South Mine (Uitkomst Adit).

Klipspruit Mine:

The Doringspruit is the most significant receiving water body for Klipspruit Mine. The stream

was dry during the survey conducted by Letsolo in November 2015, largely due to the

drought experienced in South Africa. Therefore no samples could be taken along the stream

at points MP A to MP C. A sample was obtained downstream at point MP F, although flow

was very low (see Plan 5: Baseline Monitoring Points: Klipspruit Mine).

Samples were also taken at upstream and downstream dams along the Doringspruit,

including Dam A, Dam B and Old Mine Catchment Dam. The water quality data obtained

for the November 2015 sampling is presented in Table 12.

Dam A, upstream of the proposed site, showed good quality water for parameters tested

and no values exceeded DWS or SANS drinking water quality standards.

Dam B, immediately downstream of the proposed Klipspruit Mine, the Old Mine Catchment

Dam, which is downstream of Dam B and MP F which is the southernmost sampling point in

the Doringspruit all indicated generally good quality water, however Iron exceed DWS

drinking water quality standards; however the Iron levels at all three sites were still within SANS

drinking water quality standards. The small variation in Iron concentration between Dam A

(0.072mg/l), Dam B (0.116mg/l), the Old Mine Catchment Dam (1.14mg/l) and MP F

(0.242mg/l) and the stability of Sulphate concentrations and pH between the upstream and

downstream sites suggests that the elevated Iron levels are due to the geological nature of

the area rather than an anthropogenic impact.

The recorded Iron levels are not expected to cause any health effects and the Doringspruit

water quality can be said to be good based on findings from the first sampling.

36 | P a g e


Plan 5: Baseline Monitoring Points: Klipspruit Mine

37 | P a g e

Table 12: Baseline Water Quality Results, November 2015

Analyses Unit Detection

Limit

Drinking/Domestic Use Irrigation

Dam A Dam B

Old

Mine

Dam

MP F SANS 241-1

(2015) DWA SAWQTV

DWA

SAWQTV

pH pH unit n/a 5 - 9.5 6 – 9 6.5 - 8.4 8.2 8.2 8.0 7.7

Electric. Conductivity mS/m 0.1

38 | P a g e


South Mine: Uitkomst Adit

Surface water monitoring is currently being undertaken as per the requirements of the

approved water use license on a monthly basis. Plan 6 indicates the position of the

monitoring points whilst the section below summarises the results for the period September

2016 – March 2017. Please refer to APPENDIX 5 for a copy of the latest water monitoring

report for the full results.

All the surface water samples, besides the two Farm Dams and the two river samples

(Upstream and Downstream), fall within the dirty water footprint of the Uitkomst Adit and

infrastructure area. These dirty water dams are exposed to water that has come into contact

with coal and carbonaceous shales and are expected to be polluted. These dirty water

management facilities have Conductivity levels, Sodium, Sulphate, Magnesium and Calcium

concentrations that exceed the SANS 241 Drinking Water Standards.

The approved water use license for the Colliery imparts water quality limits for the PCD. These

limits are so stringent that the up gradient unpolluted water samples do not comply. It must

be stressed that the chemical results obtained are as expected for polluted coal water

contained in a PCD. It is therefore unrealistic to place water quality limits on a PCD with the

purpose of storing dirty water (as required by GN704).

Farm Dam 1 is an up gradient water sample and is not being impacted on by the coal

mining activities at the adjacent Uitkomst Colliery. The Sodium and Sulphate concentrations

for the month of February were 6.67 and 13.5mg/l, both an improvement when compared to

the November sample results. The water, however, not being impacted on by the mining

operations contains elevated heavy metals such as Aluminium and Iron. This results in the

water being unsuitable for human consumption.

Upstream sampling point is located along the Kweekspruit, up gradient of the plant area.

Only the Sulphate concentration exceeded the stringent RQO limit of 7.24mg/l with a

concentration of 13.3mg/l in February. This sampling point is not being impacted on by the

mining activities.

Downstream sampling point is located along the Kweekspruit, down gradient of the plant

area. Water quality, similarly to Upstream does not comply with the RQO limits. Whilst the

water is considered of good quality, the water quality in Downstream has marginally

deteriorated when compared to Upstream. The February Conductivity level, for example, for

the Upstream was 16.6mS/m compared to 24.2 mS/m at Downstream.

Of concern, however, is water sample Farm Dam 2. This is a clean water dam, situated down

gradient of the RWDs and MRDS. During the month of September the Sulphate and Sodium

concentrations were1067 and 290mg/l. During November these two parameters decreased

to 360mg/l and 97.2mg/l. During the second quarter sampling event (January and February),

the Sulphate and Sodium concentrations again increased to 851 and 184 mg/l. These results

indicated that the down gradient water system is being impacted on by the Colliery’s

activities possibly through seepage or poor surface water management. During the month of

February the Colliery received over 108mm of rain in short succession. This resulted in the RWD

overflowing into Farm Dam 2, hence the elevated concentrations of parameters seen in

February. This spill was reported to DWS on the 23rd of February 2017.

39 | P a g e


Plan 6: Current Surface Water Monitoring Points at South Mine: Uitkomst Adit

4.2.5 Resource Class & River Health

The site is discussed in terms of aquatic sensitivity based on national programmes such as

FEPA rivers and wetlands, as well as provincial programmes such aquatic biodiversity and

land use decision support (LUDS) plans. This information was obtained from SANBI which has

been appointed to manage South Africa’s biodiversity in terms of the National Environmental

Management: Biodiversity Act. Furthermore, the biomonitoring results for 2016 (Iggdrasil,

2016) have been included and summarised below.

FEPA wetlands (Figure 6) are scattered throughout the project area. These have been

assessed as part of the wetland assessment which is detailed later in the IWWMP. In general,

the proposed infrastructure associated with Klipspruit Adit 2 has been planned so as to avoid

wetlands and their 100m buffer zones as far as possible. According to NFEPA data, the

Doringspruit is classified as a D, the Kweekspruit is classified as a C, the Wasbankspruit is

classified as a C and the Slang River situated to the north of the study area is classified as a B

(Iggdrasil, 2016). The Slang River drains the northern extent of the mineral boundary, where

no surface or underground activities are proposed. This system will be unaffected by mining.

The bulk of the area falls within an upstream catchment management area for fish (Figure 7),

however the north eastern portion of the study area is categorised as a FEPA due to the

presence of sensitive wetland systems as well as river ecosystems and fish species (Iggdrasil,

2016). This area will remain unaffected by surface infrastructure or underground mining.

According to KZN aquatic biodiversity conservation areas (Figure 8) the mineral boundary is

split into areas available for development (north) and areas earmarked for conservation

(south). Earmarked areas are prioritised for conservation planning and land use

management and will be further assessed in the next 5 years for potential biodiversity

40 | P a g e


management. No conservation areas occur within the mineral boundary. The existing

Uitkomst Adit and underground mine areas falls within an area earmarked for conservation.

The Sub Quaternary Reach (SQR) of the Slang River (V31A-02319) indicated that the SQR is

regarded as largely natural has a high ecological importance and a very high ecological

sensitivity (Iggdrasil, 2016). This system will be unaffected by mining.

The SQR of the Doringspruit (V31D-02387) indicated that the SQR is regarded as largely

modified has a moderate ecological importance and a high ecological sensitivity (Iggdrasil,

2016). This is the main receiving water body for the proposed Klipspruit Mine.

The SQR Kweekspruit (V32B-02414) was moderately modified had a high ecological

importance and a very high ecological sensitivity (Iggdrasil, 2016). This is the main receiving

water body for the proposed Uitkomst Mine.

From an overall aquatic perspective the receiving water bodies on site can be considered

as moderately modified but of moderate to high conservation value.

Figure 6: NFEPA Wetland of relevance on site (SANBI, 2015)

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Figure 7: Quaternary catchment areas and fish support areas of relevance on site (SANBI,

2015)

Figure 8: KZN aquatic biodiversity zones of relevance on site (SANBI, 2014)

Biomonitoring Results

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Aquatic biomonitoring was completed by Iggdrasil during the high and low flow seasons of

2016. However as South Africa was experiencing a severe drought not all sites visited had

enough water to complete adequate assessments.

Plan 7 indicates the sites visited during the surveys and Table 13 and 14 summarise the

biomonitoring findings.

Some correlation was observed with regional data in the sense that the Slang River system

indicated highest ecological class. The remaining systems varied between modified to

seriously modified ratings for various ecological class ratings, indicating that the systems are

more modified than regional data presents.

Plan 7: Baseline Biomonitoring Points (Iggdrasil, 2016)

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Table 13: Biomonitoring results (High Flow/Wet Season 2016)

Site Description IHAS Score (%) IHAS Class Temp

(°C)

pH EC

(mS/m)

DO

(%)

VEGRAI

EC

FISHRAI

Class

SASS5

EC

Diatom

EC

KLB1 On the Doringspruit, a tributary of the Buffels

River.

Shallow slow moving waters over algae

covered stones and gravel substrate with

marginal vegetation. Some pools with

muddy substrates. Surrounded by

agricultural land.

67 Acceptable 23 9.00 22.0 52.4 D D/E C N/S

KLB2 On the Doringspruit, a tributary of the Buffels

River.

Shallow slow moving waters over slate sheet

bedrock with limited marginal vegetation.

Pools between cascading waterfalls with

muddy substrate (with 4m waterfall).

Surrounded by agricultural land.

52 Insufficient 22.5 8.32 26.4 67.0 C D/E C B/C

KLB3 On Doringspruit tributary. Sites were dry and could not be sampled but should re-evaluate during the next wet season sampling

KLB4

KLB5 On the Kweekspruit, a tributary of the Buffels

River.

Wide channel with very slow moving waters

over bedrock containing many pools or

‘potholes’. Limited marginal vegetation

present. Surrounded by agricultural land.

55 Insufficient 24.7 9.09 20.6 53.0 C D E-F N/S

KLB6 On the Kweekspruit, a tributary of the Buffels

River.

Very slow moving waters over sandy and

muddy substrate containing few pools;

limited marginal vegetation. Narrow

channel had much overhanging vegetation

with incised riparian banks in some areas.

46 Insufficient 25.7 7.98 36.2 73.5 C D C C

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(°C)

pH EC

(mS/m)

DO

(%)

VEGRAI

EC

FISHRAI

Class

SASS5

EC

Diatom

EC

Surrounded by agricultural land.

KLB7 On an unnamed tributary of the Slang River,

that flows into the Zaaihoek Dam.

Slow flowing water over stones, gravel and

sand with pools, runs and riffle areas.

71 Acceptable 23.7 7.5 10.7 85.0 B E D B

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Table 14: Biomonitoring results (Low Flow/Dr Season 2016)


(°C)

pH EC

(mS/m)

DO

(%)

VEGRAI

EC

FISHRAI

Class

SASS5

EC

Diatom

EC

KLB1 On the Doringspruit, a tributary of

the Buffels River.

Shallow slow moving waters over

algae covered stones and gravel

substrate with marginal

vegetation. Some pools with

muddy substrates. Surrounded by

agricultural land.

59 Insufficient 18.2

8.39 21.80

81.9 D E C B

KLB2 On the Doringspruit, a tributary of

the Buffels River.

Shallow slow moving waters over

slate sheet bedrock with limited

marginal vegetation. Pools

between cascading waterfalls

with muddy substrate (with 4m

waterfall). Surrounded by

agricultural land.


8.5 32.4 67.4 C E C B

KLB3 On Doringspruit tributary. Sites were dry and could not be sampled but should re-evaluate during the next dry season sampling

KLB4

KLB5 On the Kweekspruit, a tributary of

the Buffels River.

Wide channel with very slow

moving waters over bedrock

containing many pools or

‘potholes’. Limited marginal

vegetation present. Surrounded by

agricultural land.


7.96 23.1 71.2 C/D E D B

KLB6 On the Kweekspruit, a tributary of

the Buffels River.

Very slow moving waters over


8.76 36.7 64.0 C E E/F B

46 | P a g e


(°C)

pH EC

(mS/m)

DO

(%)

VEGRAI

EC

FISHRAI

Class

SASS5

EC

Diatom

EC

sandy and muddy substrate

containing few pools; limited

marginal vegetation. Narrow

channel had much overhanging

vegetation with incised riparian

banks in some areas. Surrounded

by agricultural land.

KLB7 On an unnamed tributary of the

Slang River, that flows into the

Zaaihoek Dam.

Slow flowing water over stones,

gravel and sand with pools, runs

and riffle areas.

73 Acceptable 14.3

7.81 11.3 85.1 B E B B

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4.2.6 Receiving Water Quality Objectives & Reserve

The following has been extracted from the DWAF report (2004) on water availability in the

Thukela Water Management Area. The Buffalo River includes the towns of Dundee,

Newcastle, Dannhauser, Utrecht and Madadeni. The main storage dams in the Buffalo

catchment are:

Ntshingwayo Dam (previously known as Chelmsford Dam) which has a capacity of

199 million m3. The dam was built to supply water to the town of Newcastle, Eskom’s

thermal power station and irrigation farmers downstream. Releases are sometimes

made to dilute factory spillages that end up in the river system.

Zaaihoek Dam, which was has capacity of 193 million m3. Zaaihoek Dam is on the

Slang River, a tributary of the Buffalo River, and is used to transfer water to the Vaal

system and the Majuba Power Station. Zaaihoek Dam can also supply downstream

requirements by releasing water into the Slang River.

The MAR of the Buffalo Key Area is 884 million m3/a. The gross available surface water in the

Buffalo River based on current development levels is estimated at between 173 million m3/a

and 205 million m3/a depending on where in the catchment the water is utilised. Most of this

yield is derived from dams discussed above. The occasional surplus in the Zaaihoek Dam was

not made available in water quantity calculations.

Table 15: Overview of water availability and use in the Buffalo River Key Area

Resource Category Water available/requirement at a 1:50 year assurance (million m3/a)

At outlet of Key Area At Ntshingwayo Dam

Gross surface water resource 205 173

Subtract : Ecological Reserve 33 33

Invasive alien plants 4 4

Dryland sugarcane 0 0

Net surface water resource 168 136

Groundwater resource 6 6

Return flows 32 32

Total local yield 206 174

Transfer In 0 0

Grand Total 206 174

Irrigation 50

Urban 24

Rural 9

Industrial 12

Afforestation 1

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Resource Category Water available/requirement at a 1:50 year assurance (million m3/a)

At outlet of Key Area At Ntshingwayo Dam

Total local requirements 96

Transfers Out 55

Grand Total 151

Balance 55 23

There are significant return flows from irrigation, the urban and commercial centres as well as

the mining and industrial activities in the catchment; the return-flow volumes being similar to

that of the requirements of the ecological Reserve.

Irrigation is the dominant water use. The urban, rural and mining/industrial requirements are

also significant, largely due to the development in and around Newcastle.

There is surplus water available in the B

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