Approvals and Monitoring Reports
Project Approval
Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) Project Approval (06_0297) and Approved Modifications inclusive of Statement of Commitments for the South Ballina Sand Quarry are:
The South Ballina Sand Quarry Environmental Assessments (EAs) and response to submissions, and the full Department of Planning and Environment Project Approval (06_0297) and Approved Modifications determinations can be found here.
Environmental Protection Licence
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) issues environment protection licences (EPL) to the owners or operators of various industrial premises under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act). Licence conditions relate to pollution prevention and monitoring, and cleaner production through recycling and reuse and the implementation of best practice. EPL and associated documentation for the quarry are as follows:
South Ballina Sand Quarry Environmental Protection Licence no. 13081
Pollution Incident Response Management Plan South Ballina Sand Quarry (updated annually)
Information concerning issued licences can be found on the public register.
Approved Plans and Strategies
The Project Approval (06_0297) conditions prescribe the compilation of the following plans and strategies, which have been approved by the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE):
Environmental Monitoring Reports
Annual Review
The latest project approval issued on the 11 April 2018 for MOD3 requires publishing of comprehensive summary of the monitoring results of the development and summary of the current stage and progress of the development within 12 month of the MOD3 approval. This information is detailed in each Annual Review. The latest 2024 Annual Review no.16 undertaken is as follows. The department has completed its assessment of the Annual Review no. 16 and ‘considers it to generally satisfy the reporting requirements of the Approval and the NSW Planning Annual Review Guideline (October 2015)’.
The previous Annual Reviews nos. 11, 12, 13, 14 15 issued since the granting of the MOD3 project approval are:
Annual Review Report - No. 15 - 5 September 2022 to 4 September 2023_ South Ballina Sand Quarry
Annual Review Report - No. 14 - 5 September 2021 to 4 September 2022_ South Ballina Sand Quarry
Annual Review Report - No. 13 - 5 September 2020 to 4 September 2021_ South Ballina Sand Quarry
Annual Review Report - No. 12 - 5 September 2019 to 4 September 2020_ South Ballina Sand Quarry
Surface Water and Groundwater Quality and Groundwater Levels results
Surface Water Quality and Groundwater Quality results (cumulative) and Groundwater level fluctuations (annual and cumulative) are also published in the Annual Review.
The biannual groundwater quality monitoring results undertaken since last review will be collated in the next Annual Review. Groundwater quality monitoring results since the last Annual Review have been mostly within the site-specific criteria. The groundwater quality cumulative results are found here.
Annual Monitoring & Evaluation Report - Implementation of Rehabilitation and Vegetation Offset Management Plan
The implementation of the latest (2018) version of the RVOMP includes the preparation of written annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reports to be submitted to the Department of Planning for three (3) years at 12-month intervals. The latest Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) report (no. 15) following the MOD 3 approval was lodged to the Department on the 13/06/24. The Department has completed reviewing the document and has no comments on the document at this time.
The current Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report No. 15 is:
The 2023 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report No. 14 is:
The 2022 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report No. 13 is:
The 2021 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report No. 12 is:
The 2020 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report No. 11 is:
The 2019 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) report no. 10 is:
Dust & Noise Monitoring
Since the inception of the Quarry in 2008, no complaints concerning dust or noise have ever been received.
Noise Monitoring Report attest to SBSQ not-exceeding the noise thresholds stipulated by the Project Approval (i.e. noise generated by the project does not exceed 40 dB(A) LAeq (15min) at nearby residences).
Deposited Dust monitoring undertaken to date right next to the operation found it to be below the given criterion (i.e. Maximum deposited dust level 4/g/m2/month) for the majority of samples. Notably, the project approval determines exceedance of the given criteria if it occurs at the sensitive receiver. The closest private house (sensitive receiver) is approx. 300m west of the SQSQ and a thick native bushland buffer separates the quarry from the closest house.
Particulate Matter PM10 monitoring undertaken using DustTrak portable unit was undertaken from the 17/03/2020 to the 1/05/2020 to determine the annual average and the 24 hr average for Particulate Matter PM10. The result of the monitoring found the short term 24 hour average was 0.011mg/m3, which is well below the project approval criterion of 0.05mg/m3 and the long term annual average of 0.03mg/m3. The DustTrak portable unit was positioned just west of the quarry operation as it was not possible to install it at the closest house (i.e. closest sensitive receiver) due to the fact that dust generating activities are already present at that receiver (eg. dirt access road and rural agricultural landuse). Thus the dust monitoring at the neighbouring house site would have been affected by onsite activities not associated with the quarry operation. As noted for the deposited dust monitoring (which is ongoing), the closest private house (sensitive receiver) is approx. 300m west of the SQSQ and a thick native bushland buffer separates the quarry from the closest house.
INDEPENDENT Environmental Audit
Independent Environmental Audits undertaken to date and the South Ballina Sand Quarry Responses are as follows:
Independent Environmental Audit 2010 and South Ballina Sand Quarry Response to Recommendations
South Ballina Sand Quarry Compliance Audit (2015) as part of State Sand Quarries Campaign (May – August 2015) by the Department of Planning and Environment and South Ballina Sand Quarry Response to Recommendations
Independent Environmental Audit 2019 and South Ballina Sand Quarry Response to Recommendations
Independent Environmental Audit 2022 and South Ballina Sand Quarry Response to Recommendations
Complaints Register
Since the inception of the Quarry in 2008, no complaints concerning dust or noise have ever been received. Since the inception of the Quarry in 2008, six (6) separate speeding complaints, one (1) about taking care around bends (addressed to all users of trucks with trailers not just SBSQ) and one (1) complaint re poor road surface quality have been received to date. All complaints were dealt with swiftly by the Quarry Manager. Regarding the road surface complaint, the Quarry pays all due levies to Council, who is responsible to maintain the road. Concerning the speeding complaints, in most instances, the speeding did not actually occur or was just above the speed limit. In any case, the Quarry Manager is very proactive in dealing with these matters. Given that traffic movements (1 movement = 1 return trip) per year range from ~1100 to 2000, the fact that such few complaints have been received due to speeding attest to the effectiveness of the Quarry Manager’s proactive approach. The last traffic related complaints were received in 2018. This information is detailed in the Annual Review.
Register of monthly complaint received since the last Annual Review (i.e. the 5 September 2024) is found here.
Contact the quarry manager to enquire about the development or to make a complaint.