Brak River stream profiling study for the proposed Berenice Colliery in Limpopo Province
Brak River stream profiling Study for the proposed Berenice Colliery in ward 21 of the Makhado Local Municipality in the Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province
Dihlashana Consulting Corporation (Pty) Ltd
Maxwell Office Park Building 1, Magwa Crescent West,
Waterfall City, Midrand, 1685
Contact Details: +27 11 254 4800/ 072 899 3300/ 084 397 4840
Contact Person: Dipitseng Manamela
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Title Brak River stream profiling study for the proposed Berenice Colliery in Limpopo Province
Issue 02
Date 28 March 2017
Classification Privileged
Status Draft
Details of the Applicant
Company Details
Name Universal Coal Development II (Pty) Ltd
Responsible Person Ms. Minah Moabi
Contact Person Project Manager
Contact Details 012 460 0805
Address P O Box 0075
Brooklyn Square
0075
Consultant Details
Company Dihlashana Consulting Corporation (Pty) Ltd
Compiled by Mpho Ramalivhana,
Qualification BSc Hons (Botany)
Affiliation SACNASP (400395/14), IAIAsa and SAAB
Contact Details 072 899 3300
Reviewed by Lazola Mnyaka
Qualification BSS Hons (Geography and Environmental Management)
Approved by Dipitseng Manamela
Qualification MSc (Environmental Science)
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Contents
GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................................................................... 6
ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................................................. 7
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 8
1.1 Aim and Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 9
1.2 Study Limitations .......................................................................................................................................... 9
2. STUDY AREA ..................................................................................................................................................... 10
2.1 Locality ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Water Management Area ........................................................................................................................... 11
2.3 Ecoregion ................................................................................................................................................... 12
2.4 Vegetation .................................................................................................................................................. 14
2.4.1 Biome ................................................................................................................................................. 14
2.4.2 Broad-vegetation ............................................................................................................................... 14
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS............................................................................................................................. 16
3.1. Desktop study ............................................................................................................................................. 16
3.2. Site Assessment ......................................................................................................................................... 16
3.3. Water Quality Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 16
3.4. Invertebrate Habitat Assessment................................................................................................................ 16
3.5. Aquatic Macro Invertebrates ....................................................................................................................... 16
4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 17
4.1. Habitat integrity/Suitability .......................................................................................................................... 17
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5. Impact Assessment and mitigation measures ..................................................................................................... 26
5.1. Methodology in determine significance ....................................................................................................... 26
5.1.1. Consequence ......................................................................................................................................... 26
5.1.2. Likelihood ............................................................................................................................................... 28
5.1.3. Environmental Significance .................................................................................................................... 29
5.2. Impact assessment ..................................................................................................................................... 29
5.2.1. Construction phase ................................................................................................................................ 29
5.2.2. Operational phase .................................................................................................................................. 33
6. Conclusion and recommendations ...................................................................................................................... 36
7. REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................... 37
List of figures
Figure 1: Locality Map for the proposed Berenice Colliery ........................................................................................... 11
Figure 2: Limpopo Quaternary Catchment ................................................................................................................... 12
Figure 3: Level 1 Ecoregions of South Africa ............................................................................................................... 13
Figure 4: Vegetation map for the proposed site ........................................................................................................... 15
List of Tables
Table 1: Summary of the location of study area ........................................................................................................... 10
Table 2: Habitat Integrity Categories ............................................................................................................................ 17
Table 3: Sites Characterization .................................................................................................................................... 19
Table 4: Assessment and Rating of Severity ............................................................................................................... 26
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Table 5: Assessment and Rating of Duration ............................................................................................................... 27
Table 6: Assessment and Rating of Extent .................................................................................................................. 27
Table 7: Determination of Consequence ...................................................................................................................... 28
Table 8: Assessment and Rating of Frequency ........................................................................................................... 28
Table 9: Assessment and Rating of Probability............................................................................................................ 28
Table 10: Determination of Likelihood .......................................................................................................................... 29
Table 11: Determination of Environmental Significance ............................................................................................... 29
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GLOSSARY
Aquatic ecosystem: ecosystem which provides a medium for habitat by aquatic organisms and sustains aquatic
ecological process.
Biomonitoring: the gathering of biological information in both the laboratory and the field for the purpose of making
an assessment or decision or in determining whether quality objectives are being met.
Ecosystem: any unit that includes all of the organisms (i.e. the community) in a given area interacting with the
physical environment so that a flow of energy leads to clear defined trophic structure, biodiversity and material cycles
(i.e. exchange of material between living and non-living parts) within the ecosystem.
Geomorphology: the study of the origin of secondary topographic features which are carved by erosion in the
primary elements and built up of the erosional debris.
Instream vegetation: submerged vegetation, including algal mats. Maybe in-current or out-of-current.
Invertebrates: animal lacking backbone and internal skeleton.
Marginal vegetation: emergent vegetation associated with river banks. Synonymous with fringing vegetation. Maybe
in-current or out-of-current.
Macro-invertebrates: invertebrates retained by mesh size 200µm.
Riparian: living or located on the banks of streams or rivers.
Suspended Solids: inorganic and organic matter, such as clay, minerals, decay products and living organisms, that
remains in suspension in water. In surface waters it is usually associated with erosion or runoff after rainfall events.
Taxon (plural Taxa): general term for a taxonomic group in a formal system of nomenclature, whatever its rank. A
taxonomic group refers to the systematic ordering and naming of plants and animals according to their presumed
natural relationships.
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ACRONYMS
ASPT Average Score Per Taxa
DO Dissolved Oxygen
DS Downstream
EC Electrical Conductivity
EC50 50% Effective Concentration
GPS Global Positioning System
IHAS Invertebrate Habitat Assessment System
PES Present Ecological Status
RHP River Health Programme
SASS5 South African Scoring System
TDS Total Dissolved Salts
TSS Total Suspended Solids
TWQR Target Water Quality Range
US Upstream
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1. INTRODUCTION
South Africa is a semi-arid country with only 8.6% of the rainfall available as surface water. South Africa’s rainfall is
almost 400mm below the worldwide average of 860mm a year, the lowest conversions in the world. Therefore,
responsible utilisation of water in a sustainable manner is essential for the future of the country. The freshwater
resources of the country are already under stress. For instance, most of the country’s major rivers have been
dammed to provide water for the increasing population (Davies, et al., 1993). In more than half of the country, South
Africans are using more water than what’s available. South Africans are already using 98% of available water supply,
and a staggering 37% of clean, drinkable water is being lost through inefficient ways of using water such as leaking
pipes, dripping taps – and that is what’s being reported, the figure could be much higher” (Thelwell, 2014).
The scarcity of water is compounded by pollution of the surface and ground water resources. Typical pollutants of
South Africa’s fresh water include industrial effluents, domestic and commercial sewage, acid mine drainage (AMD),
agricultural run-off and litter (Hobbs and Kennedy, 2011). The availability of water, now and in the future, is heavily
dependent on climate, water use and management and land use practice (Walmsley, et al., 1999).
Aquatic ecosystem can be defined as any unit that includes all of its organisms in a given area, interacting with the
physical environment so that a flow of energy leads to clearly defined trophic structure, biotic diversity and material
cycles within the system (Odum, 1971). The ecological integrity of ecosystem can be defined as the ability of the
system to support and maintain a balanced, integrated composition of physico-chemical and habitat characteristics,
as well as biotic components on temporal and spatial scale, that are comparable to the natural state of that
ecosystem. It therefore, refers to the structure and functioning of an ecosystem under natural conditions or a state
unimpaired by anthropogenic stresses (Roux, 1999).
It can therefore, be deduced that the overall ecological integrity of a system is determined by the following aspects,
its physical, physic-chemical and biological (biotic) integrity and energy source input. In nature these aspects cannot
be seen as separate entities as they are interlinked.
To investigate the water quality in the Brak River and its network/system linked with the proposed site for the
development of the Berenice Colliery, Headwaters cc appointed Dihlashana Consulting Corporation (Pty) Ltd to
undertake ecological assessment of aquatic ecosystem to determine the aquatic health of the Brak River and the
possible impacts that the proposed mine might cause on the stream (watercourse). This report is based on the
findings gained during the first quarter (Month of February) of 2017. The assessment protocol applied in this study
will give a clear reflection of the potential impacts on aquatic ecosystems. The study includes the assessment of
general habitat condition and availability as well as biotic integrity.
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1.1 Aim and Objectives
It is a legal requirement (National Water Act, 36 of 1998) to monitor the quality and effect of discharged water into an
aquatic ecosystem. The primary objective of this study was to assess the quality of aquatic resources associated with
the proposed Berenice Colliery. In order to achieve this, the following objectives have been assigned:
To assess the state of aquatic ecosystem upstream and downstream of the proposed Berenice Colliery
on the Brak River;
To understand the variation of water quality upstream and downstream of the proposed Berenice
Colliery on the Brak River;
To assess and identify potential possible impacts, and
To develop mitigation measures.
1.2 Study Limitations
The following limitations were identified during the assessment:
During the assessment all sites were dry. Due to this, water quality analysis and aquatic assessment
(SASS5) were not undertaken. Information from Department of Water and Sanitation (both national and
provincial) were sought but nothing regarding the Brak River in the Limpopo Province could be found.
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2. STUDY AREA
2.1 Locality
The proposed Berenice Colliery is located in Ward 21 of Makhado Local Municipality within Vhembe District
Municipality, Limpopo Province. The project site is approximately 110 km North West of Makhado in Limpopo
Province, between the town of Vivo and Alldays. The site is approximately 1800 ha in extent and bordered to the
north-west by the Brak River, which is a non-perennial tributary of the Sand River. The table below indicates the site
codes, river/stream, and GPS co-ordinates of each sampling point.
Table 1: Summary of the location of study area
Point
number
Stream CODE GPS Locations (WGS84)
Latitude (S) Longitude (E)
1 Brak River DS 22° 40’ 24.6” 29° 30’ 55.4”
2 Brak River US 22° 44’ 49.8” 29° 22’ 10.6”
3 Drainage line to the Brak River DL 1 22° 40’ 19.7” 29° 30’ 10.4”
4 Drainage line to the Brak River
DL 2 22° 40’ 36.2” 29° 29’ 42.9”
5 Drainage line to the Brak River
DL 3 22° 43’ 44.2” 29° 25’ 13.8”
6 Drainage line to the Brak River
DL 4 22° 40’ 45.03” 29° 23’ 11.17”
7 Drainage line to the Brak River
Dl 5 22° 44’ 31.98” 29° 22’ 43.05”
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Figure 1 below presents the locality map for the sampling points against the proposed site for the proposed Berenice
Colliery Mine.
Figure 1: Locality Map for the proposed Berenice Colliery
2.2 Water Management Area
The study area falls within the rivers and streams of the Limpopo Water Management Area (WMA), more specifically
in the A71J and A72B quaternary catchment areas. Major rivers within this WMA include the Limpopo, Matlabas,
Mokolo, Lephalala, Mogalakwena Sand and Nzhelele. The study area is however located adjacent to the Brak River
which is the tributary of the Sand River.
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Figure 2: Limpopo Quaternary Catchment
2.3 Ecoregion
An Ecoregion is an area with similar physical characteristics, and is expected to support a unique combination of flora
and fauna (Kleynhans et al, 2007). The study area is located within Level 1 Ecoregion (Limpopo Plain). This
Ecoregion is characterized by plains and lowlands with a low moderate relief and vegetation consisting mostly of
Bushveld types and Mopane veld. Generally, this is a low lying, dry to arid, hot region with virtually no perennial
streams originating in the area itself.
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Figure 3: Level 1 Ecoregions of South Africa
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2.4 Vegetation
2.4.1 Biome
Mucina and Rutherfordl (2010) described the project as falling within the Savanna Biome. The Savanna Biome is
the largest Biome in southern Africa, occupying 46% of its area, and over one-third the area of South Africa. It is
well developed over the lowveld and Kalahari region of South Africa and is also the dominant vegetation in
neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It is characterized by a grassy ground layer
and a distinct upper layer of woody plants. Where this upper layer is near the ground vegetation may be referred
to as Shrubveld, where it is dense as Woodland, and the intermediate stages are locally known as Bushveld.
The environmental factors delimiting the biome are complex: altitude ranges from sea level to 2000 m; rainfall
varies from 235 to 1000 mm per year; frost may occur from 0 to 120 days per year; and almost every major
geological and soil type occurs within the biome. A major factor delimiting the biome is the lack of sufficient
rainfall which prevents the upper tree layer from dominating, coupled with fires and grazing, which keep the grass
layer dominant. Summer rainfall is essential for grass dominance, which, with its fine material, fuels near-annual
fires. In fact, almost all species are adapted to survive fires, usually with less than 10% of plants, both in the
grass and tree layer, killed by fire. Even with severe burning, most species can re-sprout from the stem bases.
The grass layer is dominated by C 4-type grasses, which are at an advantage where the growing season is hot.
But where rainfall has a stronger winter component, C 3-type grasses dominate. The shrub-tree layer may vary
from 1 to 20 m in height, but in Bushveld typically varies from 3 to 7 m. The shrub-tree element may come to
dominate the vegetation in areas which are being overgrazed. Most of the savanna vegetation types are used for
grazing, mainly by cattle or game. In the southernmost savanna types, goats are a major stock. In some areas
crops and subtropical fruit are cultivated. These mainly include the Clay Thorn Bushveld, parts of Mixed
Bushveld, and Sweet Lowveld Bushveld.
Conservation status of savanna is comparatively good, mainly due to the presence of the Kruger and Kalahari
Gemsbok National Parks within the biome. However, the high area conserved in South Africa, belies the fact that
half of savanna vegetation types are inadequately conserved, in having less than 5% of their area in reserves
and, much of the area is used for game-farming and can thus be considered effectively preserved, provided that
sustainable stocking levels are maintained. The importance of tourism and big game hunting in the conservation
of the area must not be underestimated.
2.4.2 Broad-vegetation
The study area falls within the Musina Mopane Bushveld (SVmp 1). The vegetation unit is distributed in Limpopo
Province: undulating plains around Baines Drift and Alldays in the west, remaining north of the Soutpansberg
and south of the Limpopo River, through Musina and Tshipise to Malongavlakte, Masisi and Banyinyi in the east.
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The vegetation unit receives summer rainfall with very dry winters. The mean annual precipitation ranges about
300-400 mm with frost fairly infrequent. This vegetation unit is classified as Least Threatened with the target of
19% with about 2% conserved in the statutorily reserves mainly in the Mapungubwe National Park and the
Nwanedi and Honnet Nature Reserves.
Figure 4: Vegetation map for the proposed site
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3. MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1. Desktop study
A desktop study was undertaken to gather background information pertaining to the proposed culverts sites. This
includes assessment of general habitat condition and availability as well as biotic integrity.
3.2. Site Assessment
This entails assessing the area visually and identifying possible impacts that might occur as a result of the
proposed project activities. In addition, photographs of each site are taken in order to present the condition of the
area at the time of survey (10th February 2017). The following factors were taken into consideration;
Channel condition;
Channel morphology; and
Riparian vegetation cover.
3.3. Water Quality Analysis
During the survey period all monitoring sites were dry. Due to that both in situ and laboratory water quality
analysis were not undertaken.
3.4. Invertebrate Habitat Assessment
The main aim of habitat assessment is to evaluate the suitability for a given organism to persist within a specific
area. An organism will only remain at a site if suitable habitat and/or food are available and it is therefore
essential to assess not only the habitat quantity but also the diversity of available biotopes. Due to the dryness of
the area Invertebrate Habitat Assessment (IHAS) protocol was not applicable in all sites during the survey.
3.5. Aquatic Macro Invertebrates
The SASS5 protocol is used as a biotic index to quantify the Present Ecological State (PES) of the stream. This
method entails the collection and identification of aquatic macro-invertebrates in three distinct biotopes, namely
stones/bedrock, marginal and aquatic vegetation, and gravel/sand/mud (in and out-of-current). Sensitivity ratings
are allocated to each taxon, and these ranges from 1 (very tolerant) to 15 (very sensitive to pollution). The scores
of taxa encountered within the different biotopes at a selected monitoring point are added to determine a Total
SASS5 Score, and the total is then divided by the number of families encountered to determine the Average
Score Per Taxon (ASPT). However, due to the dry conditions the SASS5 assessment was not applicable to all
sites during the survey and as such this led to conducting stream profiling.
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4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
This section describes all monitoring sites along with detailed findings which include photos and tables
presenting the ecological status at each site. It should be noted that most of the aquatic (biological) assessment
methods mentioned in the previous section above were not applicable due to the lack of water flow during the
survey period, 10th February 2017. However, information regarding he previous water quality and aquatic health
of the Brak River was sought from the Department of Water and Sanitation but to no success.
4.1. Habitat integrity/Suitability
The habitat integrity assessment is based on the assessment of the impacts of two components of the river, the
riparian zone and instream habitat. The quality of the instream and riparian habitat has a direct influence on the
aquatic community. The availability of and diversity of habitats are major determinants of aquatic biota that are
present in the stream. Therefore, it is important to assess the impacts of human disturbance on riparian and
instream habitat such as bed and channel modification, invasive plants, reduction and transformation of
indigenous riparian plants and litter. The tabulation below presents the habitat integrity categories.
Table 2: Habitat Integrity Categories
Category Invertebrate Habitat Description Score (% of
total)
A Unmodified, natural 90-100
B Largely natural with few modifications. A small change in the natural habitats
and biota may have taken place but the ecosystem functions are essentially
unchanged.
80-89
C Moderately modified. A loss and change of natural habitat and biota have
occurred but the basic ecosystem functions are still predominantly
unchanged.
60-79
D Largely modified. A large loss of natural habitat, biota and basic ecosystem
functions has occurred.
40-59
E The loss of natural habitat, biota and basic ecosystem functions is extensive. 20-39
F Modification has reached a critical level and the lotic system has been
modified completely with an almost complete loss of natural habitat and biota.
<20
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The habitat integrity of the watercourses in the study area was homogenous and largely modified (C/D). The
major impact pressure within the area ranges from road, cultivation, stock grazing and other domestic land uses.
In addition, the riparian vegetation/zone was largely modified in all monitoring sites. The major impacts include
vegetation transformation, livestock grazing, farming and pollution (waste). The impact on the aquatic ecosystem
is increased by lack of good marginal vegetation. Furthermore, the greater concern was the high degree of
domestic waste especially nappies in almost all the monitoring sites. Human excretes contain a wide variety of
dissolved and suspended impurities which contain disease-causing microbes to human and also animals. Table
3 indicates the condition of all monitoring sites during the survey.
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Table 3: Sites Characterization
Site Site Description and observation
Picture 1: Downstream point of the Brak River
The site is located under a bridge and just after the
proposed site of the Berenice Colliery,
The site is charachterised by terrestrial plant species
such as Acacia nigrescens, Cinerea dichrostachys,
Grewia Flava. The grass layer is also terrestrial grasses
than aquatic.
Invasive species such as Xanthium sibiricum, Datura
stramonium, Argemone Americana and Ricinus
communis occur on the banks of the river.
No water was following.
No signs of erosion of pollution was noted on site
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Site Site Description and observation
Picture 2: Upstream point of the Brak River
This is site is located downstream of Kudu Lodge.
A pool of water was encountered onsite but SASS 5
could not be conducted due to no flow of water.
Also the site is characterized by more of terrestrial plants
such as Ziziphus mucronata, Combretum apiculatum,
Melia azedarach, and Grewia occidentalis. Invasive
plants such as Xanthium sibiricum and Solanum
mariantanum were recorded.
No signs of erosion or any dumping was recorded or
seen on site.
Erosion and bank scouring was visible.
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Site Site Description and observation
Picture 3: DL 1 point
This point is located west of the downstream point.
It is located on a non-perennial stream that collects water
from the neighboring farm prior to it reaching the Brak
River
The site was found to be shallow and dry charachterised
by fine sand
Grass species such as Aristida adscensionis, Eragrostis
lehmanniana, Melinis repens were recorded. With tall
species such as Cinerea dichrostachys, Grewia
occidentalis and Grewia bicolor noticed.
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Site Site Description and observation
Picture 4: DL 2 – drainage line to the Brak River
The site/point is located on a non-perennial drainage
line flowing to the Brak River.
No water was encountered.
The site has more herb layer than the tree layer.
Species such as Solanum mariantanum, Melinis
repens, Momordica balsamina, and Acacia tortilis were
recorded.
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Site Site Description and observation
Picture 5: DL 3 – Drainage line of the Brak River
The site/point is located south-west of the Brak River and
the flow is to the east.
The site is not different from DL 2, because it does not
have water flowing as it is a non-perennial drainage line.
No signs of erosion were recorded
Terrestrial species such as Ipomea spp., Sida cordofolia,
Sporobolus spp., were recorded.
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Site Site Description and observation
Picture 6: Point DL 4
No water was flowing during the survey
The site is charachterised by grasses
No sign of erosion was observed
The drainage line flows to the northern direction until it
feeds to the Brak River
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Site Site Description and observation
Picture 7: DL 5 point
The point is located on a non-perennial drainage line that
feed the Brak River
The site is dominated by grasses such as Eragrostis
curvula, Melinis repens, Urochloa mosambicens
No water flow was encountered
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5. Impact Assessment and mitigation measures
A development has several impacts on the surrounding environment and particularly on a riparian area. The
development changes habitats, the ecological environment, infiltration rates, amount of runoff and runoff intensity of
stormwater, and therefore the hydrological regime of the site. A range of management measures are available to
address threats posed to watercourses. In the context of the proposed development, the mitigation measures
proposed below are intended to prevent further degradation to the riparian area as a result of the construction and
operation. It is important to note that this section aims to highlight areas of concern. The details of the mitigation
measures that are finally put in place should ideally be based on these issues, but must necessarily take into
consideration the physical and economic feasibility of mitigation. It is important that any mitigation be implemented in
the context of an Environmental Management Plan in order to ensure accountability and ultimately the success of the
mitigation.
5.1. Methodology in determine significance
The potential environmental impacts of the proposed project were evaluated according to their severity, duration,
extent and significance of the impact, and include the cumulative impact. The Risk Assessment Methodology was
used for the ranking of the impacts. This system derives environmental significance on the basis of the consequence
of the impact on the environment and the likelihood of the impact occurring.
5.1.1. Consequence
Consequence is calculated as the average of the sum of the ratings of severity, duration and extent of the
environmental impact. Likelihood considers the frequency of the activity together with the probability of an
environmental impact occurring. The following tables (Table 4 to Table 11) describe the process in detail:
Table 4: Assessment and Rating of Severity
Rating Description
1 Negligible / non-harmful / minimal deterioration (0 – 20%)
2 Minor / potentially harmful / measurable deterioration (20 – 40%)
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3 Moderate / harmful / moderate deterioration (40 – 60%)
4 Significant / very harmful / substantial deterioration (60 – 80%)
5 Irreversible / permanent / death (80 – 100%)
Table 5: Assessment and Rating of Duration
Rating Description
1 Less than 1 month / quickly reversible
2 Less than 1 year / quickly reversible
3 More than 1 year / reversible over time
4 More than 10 years / reversible over time / life of project or facility
5 Beyond life of project of facility / permanent
Table 6: Assessment and Rating of Extent
Rating Description
1 Within immediate area of activity
2 Surrounding area within project boundary
3 Beyond project boundary
4 Regional / provincial
5 National / international
Consequence is calculated as the average of the sum of the ratings of severity, duration and extent of the
environmental impact.
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Table 7: Determination of Consequence
Determination of Consequence (C) (Severity + Duration + Extent) / 3
5.1.2. Likelihood
Likelihood considers the frequency of the activity together with the probability of the environmental impact associated
with that activity occurring.
Table 8: Assessment and Rating of Frequency
Rating Description
1 Less than once a year
2 Once in a year
3 Quarterly
4 Weekly
5 Daily
Table 9: Assessment and Rating of Probability
Rating Description
1 Almost impossible
2 Unlikely
3 Probable
4 Highly likely
5 Definite
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Table 10: Determination of Likelihood
Determination of Likelihood (L) = (Frequency + Probability) / 2
5.1.3. Environmental Significance
Environmental significance is the product of the consequence and likelihood values.
Table 11: Determination of Environmental Significance
Environmental Significance (Impact) = C × L Description
L (1 – 4.9) Low environmental significance
LM (5 – 9.9) Low to medium environmental significance
M (10 – 14.99) Medium environmental significance
MH (15 – 19.9) Medium to high environmental significance
H (20 – 25) High environmental significance. Likely to be a fatal flaw.
5.2. Impact assessment
The potential possible impacts identified for both construction and operational phases and their
management/mitigation measures associated with the construction and operation of the Berenice Colliery are
outlined in table 12 and 13 below.
5.2.1. Construction phase
Construction activities such as vegetation clearance could cause erosion which will lead to high volumes of sediment
entering streams. Also, hydrocarbon (oil, petrol and diesel) spills and/or leakages from construction vehicles and/or
equipment could result in secondary contamination of the surface water should they occur simultaneously with a
heavy rainfall event. This could lead to:
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Changing the quantity and fluctuation properties of the watercourse;
Changing the amount of sediment entering water resource and associated change in turbidity (increasing or
decreasing the amount);
Alteration of water quality – increasing the amounts of nutrients and toxins; and
Changing the physical structure within a water resource (habitat).
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Severity Duration Extent Consequence Frequency Probability Likelihood Status Significance
With no
mitigation
4 3 3 3.3 5 4 4.5 Negative 14.9 (M)
Mitigation measures:
Centralize the mine layout to affect as few surface watercourses as possible.
Capture and contain all dirty water from the construction operations.
Management of on-site water use and prevent stormwater or contaminated water directly entering the watercourse (thus treat and reuse dirty water within
construction activities).
Treat all surplus dirty water. Consider this water for treatment and discharge to receiving streams, or to third party users.
Given the sensitive nature of the receiving watercourses and the potentially far reaching effects within the River system, these recommendations should
be coupled with the requirements of GN704.
If possible construction should preferably take place during the dry season.
All construction vehicles should be kept in good working condition to avoid.
All construction vehicles should be parked in demarcated areas when not in use and drip trays should be placed under vehicles to collect any spillages/
leaks.
Formalise access roads and make use of existing roads and tracks where feasible, rather than creating new routes through naturally vegetated areas.
Monitor rehabilitation and the occurrence of erosion twice during the rainy season for at least two years and take immediate corrective action where
needed.
Monitor the establishment of alien invasive species within the areas affected by the construction and maintenance of the proposed infrastructure and take
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immediate corrective action where invasive species are observed to establish.
During the construction phase, measures must be put in place to control the flow of excess water so that it does not impact on the surface vegetation.
Protect all areas susceptible to erosion and ensure that there is no undue soil erosion resultant from activities within and adjacent to the construction camp
and work areas.
Demarcate the riparian areas and buffer zones to limit disturbance, clearly mark these areas as no-go areas.
Provision of adequate sanitation facilities located outside of the riparian area or its associated buffer zone.
Establishment of buffer zones to reduce nutrient inputs in diffuse flow
Implementation of appropriate stormwater management measures around the excavation to prevent the ingress of run-off into the excavation.
Any activities within 50m of riparian areas are subject to authorization by means of a water use license.
Construction in and around watercourses must be restricted to the dryer winter months where responsible.
A temporary fence or demarcation must be erected around the works area to prevent access to sensitive environs. The works areas generally include the
servitude, construction camps, areas where material is stored and the actual footprint of the infrastructure
Planning of the construction site must include eventual rehabilitation / restoration of indigenous vegetative cover
Have oil/diesel spill kits on site.
Confirm surface water monitoring protocol and plans. Recommended that surface water monitoring be undertaken on a quarterly basis.
With Mitigation 3 3 2 2.7 5 3 4 Negative 10.8 (Medium)
Significance of the impact:
The significance of this impact is regarded as medium without mitigation, however, if the above mitigation measures are implemented successfully, the significance
will remain the same but the magnitude of the impact will be minimised.
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5.2.2. Operational phase
Hydrocarbon (oil, petrol and diesel) spills and/or leakages could occur from vehicles and/or equipment. These spills
could contaminate the surface and ground water should they occur simultaneously with a heavy rainfall event.
Operational activities such as the establishment of increased hard surfaces could cause erosion which will lead to
high volumes of sediment entering streams. This could again lead to increased silt loads entering the water bodies,
especially under flood conditions (decreasing storage capacity). The mine’s pollution control dams also pose a risk of
contamination of surface water during flood events.
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Severity Duration Extent Consequence Frequency Probability Likelihood Status Significance
With no
mitigation
4 4 3 3.7 2 4 3 Negative 11.1 (M)
Mitigation Measures
Centralise the mine layout to affect as few surface watercourses as possible, and ideally only one;
Capture and contain all dirty water from the operations activities;
Treat and reuse dirty water within construction activities;
Treat as a water resource all surplus dirty water. Consider this water for treatment and discharge to receiving streams, or to third party users;
All operational vehicles should be kept in good working condition, and should be parked in demarcated areas when not in use and drip trays should be
placed under vehicles to collect any spillages/ leaks.
Keep dirty areas like stockpiles, workshops and oil and diesel storage areas as small as possible; and
Contain poor quality runoff from dirty areas and divert this water to pollution control dam for re-use.
Have oil/diesel spill kits on site.
Confirm surface water monitoring protocol and plans. Recommended that monitoring be conducted on a quarterly basis.
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Where possible, maintenance within watercourses must be restricted to the drier winter months. Maintenance activities should not impact on rehabilitated areas
and where soil or vegetation disturbances took place, this should be rehabilitated immediately.
With Mitigation 3 4 1 2.7 2 3 2.5 Negative 6.8 (LM)
Significance of the impact
The significance of this impact is regarded as medium without mitigation, however, if the above mitigation measures are implemented successfully, the significance
will be reduced to low medium.
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6. Conclusion and recommendations
Due to the lack of water flow during the assessment period the SASS5 protocol was not used to determine the
overall ecological status of the sites. All sites were assessed and evaluated in terms of their surrounding habitat
and possible impacts to the aquatic ecosystem.
All proposed mitigation measures should be adhered to during both construction and operation phases to ensure
the watercourses condition does not deteriorate any further.
The following recommendations were made:
Construct erosion control measures (rip rap, silt trap, gabions, etc.) especially at the stream banks as
well as the inlet and outlet of the culverts;
Implement a weed control measures within the stream during construction and maintain the riparian
zone at low to no invasion levels through regular weed control follow-ups;
Rehabilitation of disturbed area must be undertaken concurrently with construction activities;
It is also recommended that construction be undertaken during dry season.
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7. REFERENCES
1. Dalls, H. F. (2007).River Health Programmes: South African Scoring System (SASS) Data Interpretation
Guidelines. Institute of Natural Resources. Cape Town: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
2. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (1996). South African Water Quality Guidelines: volume 7: Aquatic
Ecosystem. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Pretoria
3. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) second edition 1996. South African Water Quality
Guidelines Volume 8: Field Guide. Pretoria.
4. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) 2001. River Health Programme: [Online] Available at:
http://www.dwa.gov.za/iwqs/rhp/state_of_rivers/letluv_01_toc.html.
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EcoClassification: Manual for EcoStatus Determination (version 2). Water Research Commission,
Department of Water Affairs. Pretoria: WRC Report No. TT 329/08.
6. McMillan, P. H. (1998). An integrated habitat assessment system (IHAS version 2) for the rapid biological
assessment of rivers and streams. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Water Resources
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7. Odum, E. P. (1971). Fundamental of Ecology. Third Edition. W. B. Saunders Co. London.
8. Ollis, D.J., Boucher, C., Dallas, H.F. & Esler, K.J. 2006. Preliminary testing of the Integrated Habitat
Assessment System (IHAS) for aquatic macro-invertebrates. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 31(1) 1-14.
9. Roux D. J. (1999). Integrating stressor and response monitoring into a Resource-Based Water Quality
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