Compliance Noise Survey & Assessment

Transcription

1 John Trotter Compliance Noise Survey & Assessment Duralie Coal October 2009 Issued October 2009 Vipac Engineers & Scientists Ltd Hunter Valley / Newcastle, NSW

2 REPORT NO: 29N TRP PREPARED FOR: P.O. Box 168 Gloucester NSW 2422 DOCUMENT CONTROL Compliance Noise Survey & Assessment Duralie Coal PREPARED BY: Vipac Engineers & Scientists Ltd Shop 5 Shopping Village, Laycock Street CAREY BAY NSW 2283 AUSTRALIA huntervalley@vipac.com.au Contact: John Trotter Phone: Phone: Fax : Fax : AUTHOR: REVIEWED/APPROVED BY: Simon RITCHIE Date: 30 th October 2009 Project Engineer REVISION HISTORY: Paul Stokes Date: 30 th October 2009 Reviewing Engineer Revision No. Date Issued Reason/Comments 0 30 th October 2009 Initial Issue DISTRIBUTION: Copy No._2_ KEYWORDS: Location 1 Project 2 UNCONTROLLED COPY Client pdf format 3 Client Mining, Noise Survey, Environmental NOTE: This is a controlled document within the document control system. SUPERSEDED and returned to the Vipac QA Representative. If revised, it must be marked Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 2 of 28

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Vipac Engineers & Scientists Ltd (VIPAC) was engaged to undertake Environmental Compliance Noise Monitoring in the rural environment surrounding the Duralie Coal (DCM) Site, Bucketts Way, Stroud Road NSW. The purpose of the assessment was to conduct ambient noise monitoring in accordance with the Department of Planning (DoP) Development Consent Modification Schedule 3 Condition 2, dated 2006 and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), now Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) Environmental Pollution Licence (EP1701), Section L6.1, Noise Limits. The noise monitoring survey commenced at 15:26hrs on Tuesday 20 th October and ended at 01:50hrs on Wednesday 21 st October Day-time Operator Attended Impact Assessment 20 th October 2009 DCM operation (15 minute) noise emissions during the daytime attended noise-monitoring period, under the prevailing weather conditions were as follows: Monitoring Locations Sound Pressure Level Noise Criteria Excursion AAS1 Lyall Nil 0 N2 S Doherty 33 0 AS3 Jensen Nil 0 Evening-time Operator Attended Impact Assessment 20 th October 2009 DCM operation (15 minute) noise emissions during the evening-time attended noise-monitoring period, under the prevailing weather conditions were as follows: Monitoring Locations Sound Pressure Level Noise Criteria Excursion AAS1 Lyall Nil 0 N2 S Doherty < 0 AS3 Jensen Nil 0 Night-time Operator Attended Impact Assessment 20 th /21 st October 2009 DCM operation (15 minute) noise emissions during the nighttime attended noise-monitoring period, under the prevailing weather conditions were as follows: Monitoring Locations Sound Pressure Level Noise Criteria Excursion AAS1 Lyall Nil, < 0, 0 N2 S Doherty 39, 30 See Section 5.6 AS3 Jensen Nil, Nil 0, 0 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 3 of 28

4 Assessment of Compliance operating noise emissions were at or below the noise criteria at AS3 and AAS1 monitoring locations during the October 2009 Environmental Noise Level Survey. Noise from the mine at N2 was predicted to have been enhanced due to the effects of temperature inversion and wind enhancement. Sigma-theta data indicated a moderate to strong temperature inversion (G Class) at times during the night survey period, therefore significant enhancement due to temperature gradient was observed. Consequently, it is probable that the recorded 39dB mine contribution at N2 S. Doherty may have been significantly enhanced by weather conditions at the time, particularly as the second night survey measurement at the site yielded significantly reduced mine related noise. As stated in the conditions of consent Schedule 3 note c), the criteria applies for Temperature inversion conditions of up to 3 o C/100m, and wind speeds of up to 2 m/s at 10 metres above ground level therefore the criteria may not be applicable in this case. The nominated monitoring locations represent the closest residences to the mine so that further located properties will receive mine noise levels somewhat lower than those measured, due to distance attenuation under stable atmospheric conditions. Under the prevailing weather conditions and based on the attended monitoring results it is concluded that mine noise emissions did not breach the applicable criteria at any nearby residence during the October 2009 survey. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 4 of 28

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION DEFINITIONS OF ACOUSTICAL TERMS DURALIE COAL MINE SITE DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION METHODOLOGY OPERATOR ATTENDED NOISE SURVEYS INSTRUMENTATION MONITORING LOCATIONS MONITORING WEATHER CRITERIA TEMPERATURE INVERSION CONDITIONS RESULTS DCM PLANT/EQUIPMENT Day Shift DCM Operations Night Shift DCM Operations NOISE SURVEY WEATHER CONDITIONS DAY SURVEY Attended Measurement Results - Day Survey Analysis Day Survey EVENING SURVEY Attended Measurement Results Evening Survey Analysis Evening Survey NIGHT SURVEY Attended Measurement Results Night Survey Analysis Night Survey COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION APPENDIX A: WEATHER CONDITIONS... APPENDIX B: LOCALITY MAP & SURVEY LOCATIONS Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 5 of 28

6 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: DAY SURVEY, AAS1 20 TH OCT FIGURE 2: DAY SURVEY, REFERENCE SITE 20 TH OCT FIGURE 3: DAY SURVEY, N2 20 TH OCT FIGURE 4: DAY SURVEY, AS3 20 TH OCT FIGURE 5: EVENING SURVEY, AS3 20 TH OCT FIGURE 6: EVENING SURVEY, AAS1 20 TH OCT FIGURE 7: EVENING SURVEY, REFERENCE SITE 20 TH OCT FIGURE 8: EVENING SURVEY, N2 20 TH OCT FIGURE 9: NIGHT SURVEY, AS3 22:46HRS 20 TH OCT FIGURE 10: NIGHT SURVEY, AS3 23:02HRS 20 TH OCT FIGURE 11: NIGHT SURVEY, AAS1 23:41HRS 20 TH OCT FIGURE 12: NIGHT SURVEY, AAS1 00:00HRS 21 ST OCT FIGURE 13: NIGHT SURVEY, REFERENCE SITE 00:27HRS 21 ST OCT FIGURE 14: NIGHT SURVEY, N2 01:01HRS 21 ST OCT FIGURE 15: NIGHT SURVEY,N2 01:HRS 21 ST OCT FIGURE 16: WEATHER STATION - WIND SPEED...26 FIGURE 17: WEATHER STATION WIND DIRECTION...27 FIGURE 18: PREDICTED TEMPERATURE INVERSION STRENGTH...27 FIGURE 19: DCM AND SURROUNDS, LOCATION MAP...28 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: ACOUSTICAL TERMS AND DEFINITION...7 TABLE 2: MONITORING LOCATIONS...9 TABLE 3: PASQUIL-GIFFORD STABILITY CATEGORIES BASED ON SIGMA-THETA...11 TABLE 4: FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF STABILITY CLASSES...11 TABLE 5: ATTENDED NOISE MEASUREMENTS & PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS...13 TABLE 6: RECEIVED NOISE NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS UNDER PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS DAYTIME...23 TABLE 7: RECEIVED NOISE NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS UNDER PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS EVENING TIME...23 TABLE 8: RECEIVED NOISE NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS UNDER PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS NIGHT TIME...23 TABLE 9: PERIODIC WEATHER DATA... Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 6 of 28

7 1. INTRODUCTION Vipac Engineers & Scientists Ltd (VIPAC) was engaged to undertake Environmental Compliance Noise Monitoring in the rural environment surrounding the Duralie Coal (DCM) Site, Buckets Way, Stroud Road NSW. The purpose of the assessment was to conduct ambient noise monitoring in accordance with the Department of Planning (DoP) Development Consent Modification Schedule 3 Condition 2, dated 2006 and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), now Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) Environmental Pollution Licence (EP1701), Section L6.1, Noise Limits. The noise monitoring survey commenced at 15:00hrs on Tuesday 20 th October and ended at 01:50hrs on Wednesday 21 st October DEFINITIONS OF ACOUSTICAL TERMS Table 1 provides the definitions of common acoustical terms and is presented as an aid to understanding this report. TABLE 1: ACOUSTICAL TERMS AND DEFINITION Term Lw L P Leq Definition A unit of measurement in decibels (A), of sound pressure level which has its frequency characteristics modified by a filter ("A-weighted") so as to more closely approximate the frequency response of the human ear. Sound Power Level radiated by a noise source per unit time re 1pW. Sound pressure level (SPL) or sound level L p is a logarithmic measure of the rms sound pressure of a sound relative to a reference value. Equivalent Continuous Noise Level - which, lasting for as long as a given noise event has the same amount of acoustic energy as the given event. The noise levels that is equalled or exceeded for 90% of the measurement period. An indicator of the mean minimum noise level, and is used in Australia as the descriptor for background or ambient noise (usually in ). The noise levels that is equalled or exceeded for 10% of the measurement period. is an indicator of the mean maximum noise level, and is generally used in Australia as the descriptor for intrusive noise (usually in ). Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 7 of 28

8 2. DURALIE COAL MINE 2.1. SITE DESCRIPTION DCM is located east of the Bucketts Way between the villages of Stroud Road and Wards River, NSW DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION The following activities have the potential to generate noise during DCM operations: Operation of mobile equipment (e.g. excavators, loaders, haul trucks, dozers, graders, and water carts) for: Vegetation removal and stripping/stockpiling of soil resources; Open cut development and production; and Haulage of raw coal and mine waste; Operation of fixed plant (e.g. ROM bin, raw coal conveyor, bin loading/unloading, lighting plant and pit pumps); and, Rail transportation of coal on the mining lease. 3. METHODOLOGY Ambient noise level measurements were conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, (DECCW), and as detailed in the Australian Standard AS , "Acoustics - Description and Measurement of Environmental Noise, Part 1 General Procedures" OPERATOR ATTENDED NOISE SURVEYS The operator-attended surveys were conducted at each monitoring location to quantify ambient noise levels and the contributed levels of noise emitted from current Duralie Mining operations. The day, evening and night survey was conducted as follows: Daytime - conducted between 15:26hrs 17:hrs Tuesday 20 th October 2009; Evening - conducted between 18:46hrs 21:05hrs Tuesday 20 th October 2009; Night - conducted between 22:46hrs Tuesday 20 th 01:50hrs Wednesday 21 st October The mine noise contribution can be determined using the following methods: For mine noise emissions that are continuous in nature, the Engineer determines the s noise contribution by noting the instantaneous meter reading when the mine was clearly audible and dominant. When the mine noise emissions are transient or frequency specific, time trace and frequency spectra recordings are analysed by removal of data from extraneous sources to determine the mine s L Aeq contribution. If the above methods are not possible, the mine s contribution can be determined by noting the relative audibility of mining activities at otherwise quiet times and establishing the difference in received sound level between the mine s activities and the background noise level. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 8 of 28

9 A scale of audibility is provided to gain a general understanding of the mining operations noise levels received at the nearby residential locations. Clearly Audible: Audible: Faintly Audible: Not Audible: Background noise level ( ) plus 3 and greater. Background noise level ( ) plus/minus 3. Background noise level ( ) minus 3 to 8. Background noise level ( ) minus 8 and less INSTRUMENTATION Attended noise measurements were taken with Brüel & Kjær (B&K) 20 integrating sound level meters, each fitted with a B&K 4189 ½-inch diameter Elect-ret microphone and a windshield. These instruments have performance characteristics within the requirements of Type 1 accuracy in accordance with AS 19 and AS IEC and have the capability to measure steady, fluctuating, intermittent and/or impulsive sound, and to compute and display percentile noise levels for the measuring period. During the attended surveys a B&K 20 instrument was used to record a 1/3-octave time trace of each 15-minute measurement enabling detailed analysis of the acoustic environment. An audio recording function was utilised to enable crosschecking of the sample data where required. Noise levels over the 15-minute periods were calculated and stored in the B&K 20 at the monitoring location during the surveys. The identifiable noise sources and their contributions were ranked in order of prominence MONITORING LOCATIONS Monitoring locations are described in Table 2 below where operator attended noise monitoring was conducted and are shown on the Map of the Area, Appendix B. TABLE 2: MONITORING LOCATIONS Location Resident/ Owner Address AAS1 2 Lyall Off Johnson Creek Road N2 S. Doherty 863 Johnson Creek Road AS3 2 Jensen Duralie Road REF 1 Site W4 Johnson Creek Road Note: 1 Reference Site mine owned dwelling used as additional noise monitoring location. 2 Alternative noise monitoring site MONITORING WEATHER The mine weather station compound is located centrally on the mining lease. Meteorological data from this location is collected by the mine management and provided to Vipac for analysis. Data is presented in fifteen-minute intervals in Appendix A of this report including meteorological parameters such as wind direction, wind speed, temperature, sigma-theta and rainfall. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 9 of 28

10 4. CRITERIA The DECCW s Environmental Pollution Licence (EP1701) L6.1 Noise Limits states the following: L6.1 Operational Noise from the premises must not exceed: Noise Limits`1 Location Period Intrusive Criteria Leq(15 minute) SOUTHERN SITE (N1) Boundary of DCM controlled land adjacent to Johnson Creek Road 2 Day, Evening & Night S DOHERTY (N2) Day, Evening & Night AJ & DM HARRISON (N3) 3 Day, Evening & Night Note: 1. The noise emissions identified in L6.1 apply for prevailing meteorological conditions (winds up to 3ms -1 ), except under conditions of temperature inversions. 2. An alternative noise monitoring site AAS1 Lyall, which is the closest non-mine owned dwelling in the vicinity of N1 relative to mine operations (refer to site map in Appendix B). 3. An alternative noise monitoring site AS3 (T. Jensen), which is the closest non-mine owned dwelling in the vicinity of N3 relative to mine operations (refer to site map in Appendix B). Furthermore, DCM obtained approval from Department of Planning for the Duralie Coal extension Section 96(2) Modification Notice of Modification dated 30th July 2006 (DA No. 169/99). The relevant noise criterion is given in Schedule 3 Condition 2 and is reproduced below. SCHEDULE 3 NOISE Noise Impact Assessment Criteria 2. The Applicant shall ensure that the noise generated by the development does not exceed the noise impact assessment criteria in (Extract) Table 2. (EXTRACT) TABLE 2: NOISE IMPACT ASSESSMENT CRITERIA DB(A) Day Evening Night L Aeq (15 minute) L Aeq (15 minute) L Aeq (15 minute) Land Number Woodley Trigg N Relton (old) S Relton (new) Guidice 124 Zulomovski 1 Hare-Scott All other privately owned land excluding the land listed in Table 1 Notes: a) Noise from the development is to be measured at the most affected point or within the residential boundary, or at the most affected point within 30 metres of a dwelling (rural situations) where the dwelling is more than 30 metres from the boundary, to determine compliance with the L Aeq(15 minute) noise limits in the above table. Where it can be demonstrated that direct measurement of noise from the development is impractical, the Department and the DECCW may accept alternative means of determining compliance (see Chapter 11 of the NSW Industrial Noise Policy). The modification factors in Section 4 of the NSW Industrial Noise Policy shall also be applied to the measured noise levels where applicable. b) Noise from the development is to be measured at 1 metre from the dwelling façade to determine compliance with the L A1(1 minute) noise limits in the above table. Where it can be demonstrated that direct measurement of noise from the development is impractical, the Department and the DECCW may accept alternative means of determining compliance (see Chapter 11 of the NSW Industrial Noise Policy). c) The emission limits identified in the above table apply under meteorological conditions of: Wind speeds of up to 3 m/s at 10 metres above ground level: or Temperature inversion conditions of up to 3 o C/100m, and wind speeds of up to 2 m/s at 10 metres above ground level. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 10 of 28

11 4.1. TEMPERATURE INVERSION CONDITIONS Meteorological data provided by Duralie Coal and calculated Pasquil Stability Categories allows for the prediction of wind and temperature profiles to within a moderately narrow range without recourse to actual measurement. The sigma-theta method developed by the US EPA is employed to determine the occurrence of different stability classes and refers to observations of sigma theta, wind speed and time of day. The Pasquil stability method categories may be determined by using a relationship between stability categories and standard deviation of the horizontal wind direction fluctuations and wind speed as shown in Table 3. TABLE 3: PASQUIL-GIFFORD STABILITY CATEGORIES BASED ON SIGMA-THETA Daytime Pasquil Stability Category Standard deviation of the horizontal wind direction fluctuations ( A in degrees) A A 22.5 B 17.5 A < 22.5 C 12.5 A < 17.5 Wind 10m (ms -1 ) < < < Night-time Pasquil Stability Category D 7.5 A < 12.5 Any D E 3.8 A < to 5 E F 2.1 A < to 3 F G A 2.1 < 2 G Note: Daytime stability category is calculated using A only; Nighttime stability category is determined using A and wind speed at 10m. Once the stability category is known the range of possible temperature gradients may be inferred as shown in Table 4 along with estimates of the stability frequency. Stability Class TABLE 4: FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF STABILITY CLASSES Percentage Frequency 1 Percentage Frequency 2 Range of vertical temperature gradient DT/DZ ( O C/100 m) F E D F E D E D Qualitative Description A 50.0% 0.0% DT/DZ < -1.9 Lapse B 16.7% 0.0% -1.9 DT/DZ < -1.7 Lapse C 12.5% 0.0% -1.7 DT/DZ < -1.5 Lapse D 16.7% 54.3% -1.5 DT/DZ < -0.5 Neutral E 4.2% 14.3% -0.5 DT/DZ < 1.5 Weak Inversion F 0.0% 20.0% 1.5 DT/DZ < 4.0 Moderate Inversion G 0.0% 11.4% 4.0 DT/DZ Strong Inversion Note: 1 Based on daytime data for the measurement period 20 th 21 st Based on evening/night time data for the measurement period 20 th 21 st Based on the information above, moderate to strong inversions occurred approximately 31% of the evening/nighttime and 0% during the daytime survey period. Therefore since significant inversions are predicted to have occurred during the evening and night survey, the noise enhancing effects of temperature inversion should be considered where audible mine noise was recorded during attended monitoring. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 11 of 28

12 5. RESULTS DCM supplies information on mining plant and equipment with operating locations. The results of the day, evening, and nighttime operator attended surveys under prevailing weather conditions are presented in the following sections, together with a description of audible sounds and their contribution DCM PLANT/EQUIPMENT DAY SHIFT DCM OPERATIONS DCM operations between 0700hrs and 1730hrs on Tuesday 20 th October 2009 consisted of the following: - Coal Fleet Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5028) 9 hrs RL -20m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x3) Tipped at ROM pad Waste Fleet Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5002) 9 hrs RL 60m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x2) Tipped at RL m Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5029) 8.2 hrs RL 28m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x3) Tipped at RL m Support D10 Dozers (x3): roads, dumps, pit floor, dump profiling 9, 8.9 & 8.5hrs Water Cart: roads, dumps, pit floor 6 hrs 16M Grader: roads, dumps, pit floor 8.5 hrs Drill (x2): Drill Pattern 7.2 & 3.8hrs Processing Train loading 10 to 1137hrs; 13 to 10hrs and 16 to 1737hrs NIGHT SHIFT DCM OPERATIONS DCM operations between 1700hrs Tuesday 20 th October and 0530hrs Wednesday 21 st October 2009 consisted of the following: - Coal Fleet Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5002) 2. hrs RL 60m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x3) Tipped at ROM pad Waste Fleet Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5002) 6. hrs RL 60m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x3) Tipped at RL m Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5028) 9 hrs RL 34m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x2) Tipped at RL<40m or RL m Liebherr Excavator (Ex 5029) 9 hrs RL 28m o Cat 789 Dump Trucks (x3) Tipped at RL m Support D10 Dozers (x3): roads, dumps, pit floor, dump profiling 9, 8.9 & 8.8hrs Water Cart: roads, dumps, pit floor 4 hrs 16M Grader: roads, dumps, pit floor 8.9 hrs Lighting Plant. Train loading 1950 to 2120hrs. Processing Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 12 of 28

13 5.2. NOISE SURVEY WEATHER CONDITIONS The weather conditions at the time of each attended noise measurement as obtained from the DCM Weather Station are presented in Table 5. TABLE 5: ATTENDED NOISE MEASUREMENTS & PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS Weather Parameter Location Measurement Start Time (hrs) Temp. O C Cloud Cover Wind Speed 1 (ms -1 ) Wind Direction (deg.) Rainfall (mm) Day Survey 20/10/09 AAS1 15: / REF 15: / N2 16: / AS3 17: / Evening Survey20/10/09 AS3 18: / AAS1 19: / REF 20: / N2 20: / Night Survey 20-21/10/09 AS3 22: / AS3 23: / AAS1 23: / AAS1 00: / REF 00: / N2 01: / N2 01: / A complete set of weather data for the survey period obtained from DCM weather station is presented in Appendix A. 1 Note: Wind speed was checked at each location during attended noise monitoring. Noise measurements were only conducted where weather conditions were within acceptable levels at the microphone position Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 13 of 28

14 5.3.DAY SURVEY ATTENDED MEASUREMENT RESULTS - DAY SURVEY AAS1 Lyall 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 15:26 Nil db FIGURE 1: DAY SURVEY, AAS1 20 TH OCT 09 REF 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 15:49 37 db FIGURE 2: DAY SURVEY, REFERENCE SITE 20 TH OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 14 of 28

15 N2 S. Doherty 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 16:23 33 db FIGURE 3: DAY SURVEY, N2 20 TH OCT 09 AS3 Jensen 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 17:20 Nil db FIGURE 4: DAY SURVEY, AS3 20 TH OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 15 of 28

16 ANALYSIS DAY SURVEY Noise from DCM operations was not audible at the AAS1 Lyall and AS3 Jensen monitoring locations during the day survey on the 20 th October. Noise sources recorded during these measurements included turkey farm activities, birds, sheep, dogs, aeroplanes, insects/frogs and road traffic. DCM noise contribution was Nil at these locations during the day survey. DCM operations were measured to be 33dB L Aeq 15-minute during the day survey at N2 S. Doherty on the 20 th October. noise was occasionally noted during times of low background noise and was identified to be a track dozer working high in pit. Other noise sources consisted of road traffic, birds, aeroplanes, cattle and wind in foliage. DCM noise contribution during the day survey on the 20 th October was measured to be: Nil at AAS1 Lyall, Nil at AS3 Jensen, and 33dB L Aeq 15-minute at N2 S. Doherty. Weather conditions during the survey consisted clear skies and light to moderate wind from the south and east EVENING SURVEY ATTENDED MEASUREMENT RESULTS EVENING SURVEY AS3 Jensen 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 18:46 Nil db FIGURE 5: EVENING SURVEY, AS3 20 TH OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 16 of 28

17 AAS1 Lyall 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 19:44 Nil db FIGURE 6: EVENING SURVEY, AAS1 20 TH OCT 09 REF 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 20:17 33 db FIGURE 7: EVENING SURVEY, REFERENCE SITE 20 TH OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 17 of 28

18 N2 S. Doherty 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 20:50 < db FIGURE 8: EVENING SURVEY, N2 20 TH OCT ANALYSIS EVENING SURVEY Noise from DCM operations was not audible at the AAS1 Lyall and AS3 Jensen monitoring locations during the evening survey on the 20 th October. Noise sources recorded during these measurements included turkey farm activities, birds, dogs, insects/frogs and road traffic. DCM noise contribution was nil at these locations during the evening survey. DCM operations were measured to be <db L Aeq 15-minute during the evening survey at N2 S. Doherty on the 20 th October. noise was occasionally noted by utilising the SLM s 1/3-octave band frequency filters. Insects and frogs dominated the noise environment at this location. DCM noise contribution during the evening survey on the 20 th October was measured to be: Nil at AAS1 Lyall, Nil at AS3 Jensen, and <db L Aeq 15-minute at N2 S. Doherty. Weather conditions during the survey consisted clear skies and light to moderate shifting winds from the west, south and east. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 18 of 28

19 5.5.NIGHT SURVEY ATTENDED MEASUREMENT RESULTS NIGHT SURVEY AS3 Jensen 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 22:46 Nil db FIGURE 9: NIGHT SURVEY, AS3 22:46HRS 20 TH OCT 09 AS3 Jensen 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 23:02 Nil db FIGURE 10: NIGHT SURVEY, AS3 23:02HRS 20 TH OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 19 of 28

20 AAS1 Lyall 15-Minute Time Trace 20/10/09 23:41 Nil db FIGURE 11: NIGHT SURVEY, AAS1 23:41HRS 20 TH OCT 09 AAS1 Lyall 15-Minute Time Trace 21/10/09 0:00 < db FIGURE 12: NIGHT SURVEY, AAS1 00:00HRS 21 ST OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 20 of 28

21 REF 15-Minute Time Trace 21/10/09 0:27 43 db FIGURE 13: NIGHT SURVEY, REFERENCE SITE 00:27HRS 21 ST OCT 09 N2 S. Doherty 15-Minute Time Trace 21/10/09 1:01 39 db FIGURE 14: NIGHT SURVEY, N2 01:01HRS 21 ST OCT 09 Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 21 of 28

22 N2 S. Doherty 15-Minute Time Trace 21/10/09 1: 30 db FIGURE 15: NIGHT SURVEY,N2 01:HRS 21 ST OCT ANALYSIS NIGHT SURVEY Noise from DCM operations was not audible at the AS3 Jensen monitoring location during the night survey on the 20 th /21 st October. Noise sources recorded during these measurements included insects/frogs, aeroplanes and road traffic. DCM noise contribution was nil at this location as identified by both operator attended noise measurements during the night survey. DCM operations were measured to be nil and <db L Aeq 15-minute during the night survey at AAS1 Lyall on the 20 th /21 st October. noise was occasionally noted by utilising the SLM s 1/3-octave band frequency filters. Dogs, farm equipment, a train on the main line, and insects/frogs dominated the noise environment at this location. DCM operations were measured to be 39dB L Aeq 15-minute and 30dB L Aeq 15-minute during the night survey at N2 S. Doherty on the 20 th /21 st October. noise was identified as haul trucks, excavators and track dozers. Other noise sources consisted of insects/frogs, birds and an aeroplane. Sigma-theta data indicated a moderate to strong temperature inversion (G Class) at times during the night survey period, therefore significant enhancement due to temperature gradient was observed. Consequently, it is probable that the recorded 39dB mine contribution at N2 S. Doherty may have been significantly enhanced by weather conditions at the time, particularly as the second night survey measurement at the site yielded significantly reduced mine related noise. As stated in the conditions of consent Schedule 3 note c), the criteria applies for Temperature inversion conditions of up to 3 o C/100m, and wind speeds of up to 2 m/s at 10 metres above ground level therefore the criteria may not be applicable in this case. DCM noise contribution during the night survey on the 20 th /21 st October was measured to be: Nil and <db L Aeq 15-minute at AAS1 Lyall, Nil at AS3 Jensen, and 39dB L Aeq 15-minute and 30dB L Aeq 15-minute at N2 S. Doherty. Weather conditions during the night survey consisted of light shifting winds from the northwest, west and northeast. The westerly winds present during the monitoring survey at the N2 S. Doherty location had the potential to cause significant enhancement of mine noise. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 22 of 28

23 5.6. COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT DCM operation (15 minute) noise emissions during the attended noise-monitoring period, under the prevailing weather conditions were as follows: TABLE 6: RECEIVED NOISE NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS UNDER PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS DAYTIME Sound Pressure Level Noise Criteria Monitoring Locations AAS1 Lyall Nil 0 N2 S Doherty 33 0 AS3 Jensen Nil 0 Excursion As shown in Table 6, the required day noise level (criteria) was not exceeded on any occasion during the day survey. TABLE 7: RECEIVED NOISE NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS UNDER PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS EVENING TIME Sound Pressure Level Noise Criteria Monitoring Locations AAS1 Lyall Nil 0 N2 S Doherty < 0 AS3 Jensen Nil 0 Excursion As shown in Table 7, the required evening noise level (criteria) was not exceeded at any occasion during the evening survey. TABLE 8: RECEIVED NOISE NOISE MONITORING LOCATIONS UNDER PREVAILING WEATHER CONDITIONS NIGHT TIME Sound Pressure Level Noise Criteria Monitoring Locations Excursion AAS1 Lyall Nil, < 0, 0 N2 S Doherty 39, 30 See Comments AS3 Jensen Nil, Nil 0, 0 As shown in Table 8, the required night-time noise level (criteria) was not exceeded at AAS1 or AS3. Sigma-theta data indicated a moderate to strong temperature inversion (G Class) at times during the night survey period, therefore significant enhancement due to temperature gradient was observed. Consequently, it is probable that the recorded 39dB mine contribution at N2 S. Doherty may have been significantly enhanced by weather conditions at the time, particularly as the second night survey measurement at the site yielded significantly reduced mine related noise. As stated in the conditions of consent Schedule 3 note c), the criteria applies for Temperature inversion conditions of up to 3 o C/100m, and wind speeds of up to 2 m/s at 10 metres above ground level therefore the criteria may not be applicable in this case. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 23 of 28

24 6. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION An Environmental Compliance Noise Monitoring Survey has been carried out in the rural environment surrounding the Duralie Coal Site, Stroud Road, NSW. The survey was requested by to ascertain the degree of compliance of noise emissions generated from the operation of Duralie Coal with licence and consent conditions. operating noise emissions were at or below the noise criteria at AS3 and AAS1 monitoring locations during the October 2009 Environmental Noise Level Survey. Noise from the mine at N2 was predicted to have been enhanced due to the effects of temperature inversion and wind enhancement. Sigma-theta data indicated a moderate to strong temperature inversion (G Class) at times during the night survey period, therefore significant enhancement due to temperature gradient was observed. Consequently, it is probable that the recorded 39dB mine contribution at N2 S. Doherty may have been significantly enhanced by weather conditions at the time, particularly as the second night survey measurement at the site yielded significantly reduced mine related noise. As stated in the conditions of consent Schedule 3 note c), the criteria applies for Temperature inversion conditions of up to 3 o C/100m, and wind speeds of up to 2 m/s at 10 metres above ground level therefore the criteria may not be applicable in this case. The nominated monitoring locations represent the closest residences to the mine so that further located properties will receive mine noise levels somewhat lower than those measured, due to distance attenuation under stable atmospheric conditions. Under the prevailing weather conditions and based on the attended monitoring results it is concluded that mine noise emissions did not breach the applicable criteria at any nearby residence during the October 2009 survey. Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 24 of 28

25 Date Time (Hrs) APPENDIX A: WEATHER CONDITIONS TABLE 9: PERIODIC WEATHER DATA Air Temperature ( o C) Wind Direction ( o Angle) Sigma Theta ( o Angle) Wind Speed (m/s) 20/10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/ : /10/2009 0: Rain (mm) Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page of 28

26 Date Time (Hrs) (CONTINUED ) TABLE 9: PERIODIC WEATHER DATA Air Temperature ( o C) Wind Direction ( o Angle) Sigma Theta ( o Angle) Wind Speed (m/s) 21/10/2009 0: /10/2009 0: /10/2009 0: /10/2009 1: /10/2009 1: /10/2009 1: /10/2009 1: /10/2009 2: /10/2009 2: /10/2009 2: /10/2009 2: Rain (mm) October 2009 Noise Survey - Wind Speed Data Average Wind Speed m/s :00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 0:00 1:00 2:00 Time FIGURE 16: WEATHER STATION - WIND SPEED Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 26 of 28

27 Wind Rose - 20th-21st October 2009 Dominant Wind Direction at DCM WNW W WSW NNW NW 8 N NNE 6 NE 4 ENE 2 0 E ESE SW SSW S SE SSE Number in Class FIGURE 17: WEATHER STATION WIND DIRECTION (ºC/100m) Predicted Temperature Inversion (Maximum) DCM October 2009 Noise Survey - Temperature Inversion Prediction Moderate to Strong Inversion Lapse/Neutral to Weak Inversion 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 0:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 Time (hrs) FIGURE 18: PREDICTED TEMPERATURE INVERSION STRENGTH Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 27 of 28

28 ` APPENDIX B: LOCALITY MAP & SURVEY LOCATIONS REF FIGURE 19: DCM AND SURROUNDS, LOCATION MAP Commercial_In_Confidence Issued October 2009 Page 28 of 28