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Provision of Specialist Consulting Services – Resources Sector



Supporting the Resources Sector Alluvium brings to the resources sector specialised services in impact assessment, engineering, economics and science associated with: catchment, waterways, surface and sub surface water management. Trusted advisors We are still working for the resources sector after 20 years because we have built trust with our clients. We are strongly ethical in using and communicating our skills, capacity and capability to deliver work. We are an optimal size to be flexible and while technically adept: neither a multinational doing everything for everyone nor a collection of sole traders with limited depth and capacity. Our reputation is built on honesty and demonstrated delivery from our staff for over two decades. We reduce risk Our focus on catchments, rivers and water resources is approached through the lens of reducing risk. We are viewed by the industry as providing sound, honest and direct advice for sustained operations and costs savings to our clients. Our experience allows us to see around corners and help our clients to better understand future costs and how they can be mitigated earlier and at a fraction of the cost of resolving bigger problems down the track. Pathways to easier approvals We bring to our clients over two decades of experience in dealing with government regulators. Our work in surface water and waterway management associated with mining operations has been adopted by state governments as their development and approvals standards. Our reputation with regulator entities flows through to our clients as reduced time to grant approvals and reduced scrutiny of the design solutions. We have an eye on relinquishment Our work is undertaken with a view of creating the easiest and most cost effective path to closure and relinquishment. We appreciate that this may be decades away, but we are always thinking about closure in the work we do and reducing our clients’ long-term liability. We integrate the right mix of skills Managing landscape processes in rehabilitation requires critical inputs in geomorphology, soil science, vegetation dynamics, hydrology and hydraulics. Engineering design is simply the tool that takes those inputs to successful implementation. Integrating those biophysical sciences into design and understanding the true cost is part of our unique offering.



Our skills Much of the work we do needs to marry hydrology, hydraulics and soil science/chemistry with fluvial geomorphology and vegetation dynamics. This is not a skill that is taught as part of an engineering qualification; it requires years of boots on the ground experience to understand mining landscapes. Alluvium is the most experienced consultant operating in Australia in understanding the trajectory of landscape response from surface water management. Our technical capability includes a broad suite of physical science and engineering skills to support mine planning and operations, along with a range of corporate sustainability related skills to support mine strategy and sustainability initiatives. Physical science Business support, and engineering strategy and planning Waterway diversions Business cases and design and cost benefit relinquishment analysis Subsidence impact Socio-economic assessment and impact assessments strategies Triple-bottom-line Surface water analysis hydrology and sediment transport Climate change resilience and Physical and ecological adaptation response modelling Mine closure and EIA and rehabilitation monitoring planning program design Water markets and Ground water water trading hydrology

Demonstrated experience Criteria for functioning landscape units Client: Australian Coal Association Research Program Clear performance standards linked to diversion approvals relinquishment will enable the mining industry, government and stakeholders to track diversion condition trajectory and the measures required to achieve relinquishment. Our work explored and defined the role of stakeholders in the diversion relinquishment process by documenting the social elements to determining performance standards for diversions by: identifying acceptable condition trajectories and defining performance standards for future diversion relinquishment, developing a framework for stakeholder and scientific assessment of diversion condition as part of the relinquishment process, and identifying refinements to the current diversion monitoring program to reflect the performance standards. Further work provided updated guidance on current leading practice for diversion planning and design. MRA Stage 2C – Walker Creek Diversion Client: BHP The South Walker Creek Mine is located in the Connors River catchment approximately 35km west of the Nebo township. The scope of works for this project includes design of all creek diversion components for Stage 2C to a detailed level suitable for construction and enabling the Water Act application to progress through the Queensland Government approval process and support the approval process to tollgate the project into the execution phase. Detailed design involved several elements: the creek diversion, associated plugs, batter chutes, landforms, levees, dragline crossing and dump designs for unused waste material from the diversion. Additional tasks included development of a diversion revegetation plan, diversion monitoring plan and a bill of quantities for construction. Isasac river cumulative impacts study Client: BHP & Anglo American The Isaac River is a major tributary of the Fitzroy River, located within the Bowen Basin coal field of central Queensland. Mining impacts have included river diversions and subsidence while land use impacts have included water resource development, infrastructure development, clearing and grazing of the catchment and riparian zone. Together with the likely consequences of drought and future mine development, the cumulative impacts of mining and land use change have significantly impacted the health of the Isaac River. This project was undertaken to understand the potential cumulative impacts of mining activity including longwall mining and related subsidence on stream geomorphic processes in the Isaac River and the subsequent implications of these impacts on river health.

Bruno Creek Waterway diversion Client: Cerejon Coal Alluvium was engaged by BHP to negotiate and lead the design process for the Bruno Creek in Columbia. This is the largest diversion in the world and Alluvium was brought in to solve design problems which would have led to an unstable and unsustainable asset. The diversion was designed to replicate elements of the existing Bruno Creek. This replication includes channel bed grade, length, bed width, meander wavelength, radius of curvature, velocity and stream power. We undertook a detailed sediment modelling exercise and combined that with substantial change to the diversion design, introduction of grade control and overland flow structures, and increased habitat values through the inclusion of engineered log jams. Grosvenor Mine Subsidence Management Plan Client: Anglo Coal Grosvenor Mine is an underground mining operation approximately 5km northwest of Moranbah. One of the effects of underground longwall mining is that after coal is mined, the roof strata falls into the void causing the natural ground surface to subside. This work covered the environments of the Isaac River, Teviot Brook, their adjacent floodplains, terraces and hill slopes that exist over the area of the mine plan. The Subsidence Management Plan (SMP) provides advice on the current pre- and post-subsidence environment for the mine plan area, addresses potential impacts caused by subsidence, and proposes mitigation, monitoring and reporting as required by the guideline. Our work included predictive subsidence modelling and impact assessment, prediction of physical effects of subsidence on surface infrastructure, and pre-subsidence and post-subsidence mitigation, reporting and maintenance. P’nyang Project Environmental Impact Statement Client: PNG LNG Project The P'nyang Project aims to commercialise natural gas resources in Papua New Guinea. The assessment undertaken by Alluvium enabled a baseline characterisation to be used to assess the significance of potential impacts from the construction, operation and decommissioning of the P’nyang gas field. Key issues addressed include safety of project assets in regard to their location in relation to flooding and geohazard related hydrologic processes, ground disturbance/site preparation during construction and the related quantity of modelled sediment generated from that disturbance area compared to baseline rates, distances downstream that sediment from project activities may be transported, and watercourse bank and bed stability at road and pipeline crossings, where the erosion and sediment transport may impact upon riparian habitat, water quality and aquatic ecosystem values.

Jacinth Ambrosia Rehabilitation Planning Client: Iluka This project examined the surface water management rehabilitation options to allow Iluka to complete the Catchment Mining Rehabilitation Plan (CMRP). This work involved both hydrologic modelling to determine flow rates for a range of ARI events and hydraulic modelling to identify the pattern and distribution of flow for each ARI event. We developed designs for rehabilitation and construction of creeks, gullies and waterways and provided recommendations for field studies to examine erodibility of the landscape and the effectiveness of erosion controls. This work advanced the understanding between the pre-mining and post- mining (lowered) landscape to identify potential erosion impacts to the surface water features. Wambo Coal Mine Extraction Plans Client: Wambo Coal Wambo Coal Mine (Wambo) is an open cut and underground mining operation in the Hunter Valley mining region of New South Wales operated by Wambo Coal Pty Limited (WCPL). Our technical report covers all surface water which has an interface with the South Bates Extension and South Bates underground mine plan. This includes surface water of the North Wambo Creek Diversion, its tributaries and surrounding landscape. The impact assessment of subsidence upon waterways and surface water generally is undertaken using the structure developed during the Isaac River Cumulative Impact Assessment of Mine Developments (Alluvium, 2008), a project jointly funded by Anglo American BHP Billiton undertaken in collaboration with the Queensland Government. Phosphate Hill Operations Closure Plan Client: Incitec Pivot Limited Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL) is a global industrial chemicals company and their Phosphate Hill Operations (PHO) is a Sulphuric Acid Plant at Mount Isa. The life of the mine is estimated to extend until approximately 2030. Alluvium produced a Closure Plan which covers the mines, processing plant, accommodation camp and associated infrastructure areas at Phosphate Hill. The plan includes, post mining land use, development of completion criteria, closure implementation, including progressive and final rehabilitation, decommissioning, remediation, monitoring and maintenance, financial costing and provisioning process plan reviews. Our work also identified and documented the legal requirements, liabilities and commitment of IPL and provides the basis for the ongoing review of closure assumptions and closure provisioning.

Cumbo Creek assessment work and detailed design Client: Wilpinjong Coal Wilpinjong mine is located in the western coalfields of NSW (48km north-east of Mudgee). The Mine is surrounded by the narrow flood plains associated with the upper reaches and tributaries of the Wollar Creek catchment (which in turn drains to the Goulburn River), the undulating foothills, ridges and escarpments of the Great Dividing Range and the dissected landforms of the Goulburn River National Park. Alluvium has been working on surface water and waterway assessment and management of this site since 2010. We have worked in partnership with Wilpinjong Coal to develop the best strategy to achieve the twin goals of mine efficiency and river health and environmental management objectives. Business case for erosion and sediment control Client: Healthy Land and Water Meeting regulated environmental performance requirements on project sites can be ineffective, inefficient, and deliver both poor outcomes for the regulated entity and the community. This project undertook detailed technical and economic analysis and modelling to measure the relative cost-effectiveness for almost 30 urban diffuse water quality interventions, and developed an underlying evidence base for the Queensland Government’s establishment of off-site solutions (offsets). This included modelling all direct and indirect lifecycle costs (including underlying risks and uncertainties) and establishing a priorities for least-cost options. The analysis has been regularly updated and expanded for use across several climate zones and jurisdictions. Cost-benefit analysis. Guyra water supply Client: Armidale Regional Council This project built on technical feasibility studies of alternative means to establish reliable augmentations of water supplies for industrial and agricultural users in Guyra NSW, including augmenting storages, distribution and treatment. This required detailed modelling of the incremental benefits to end-users of the water. A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) approach was adopted that considered benefits to end users (volumes, reliability and value adding from the use of the water) and lifecycle costs to service providers. A water services charging model was also established and used to estimate the efficient access and volumetric charges that were appropriate for different classes of water customers. The project formed the information based for a successful application for Commonwealth co-funding of the capital investment required.



Delivery performance Since 2006 Alluvium has delivered over 420 separate projects for the resources sector totalling over $20M in fees. Fees value (M) Projects 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 As a specialised, employee-owned consulting business, the technical quality and timelines of project delivery are critical to our ongoing success. We have a customised quality management system designed for a medium-sized consulting firm and ISO 9001-2000 certified. As part of our QA we engage with clients at the end of projects to gather candid feedback on performance. Since we were founded in 2006, 98% of our clients have described themselves as being happy with project quality and timeliness. We would challenge any professional services firm to produce a better set of client satisfaction results. Client feedback results on project performance from 2006 – 2019.

Some of our key team members Rohan Lucas Rohan is a Principal Consultant – Environmental Engineering and Geomorphology and Director of Alluvium Consulting. He has over 25 years’ experience in environmental and natural resource management with a focus on waterways. Rohan also has extensive experience with private industry clients including mining and gas companies and infrastructure developers and associated regulator engagement across Australia and parts of the Asia-Pacific. Ross Hardie Ross is Chairman of Alluvium Consulting Australia Pty Ltd and has more than 25 years direct experience in the waterway management industry. Ross specialises in the hydraulic and geomorphic assessment of stream systems, analysis of stream erosion and sediment deposition processes, streambed scour assessments, sediment transport and environmental flow investigations. Ross has designed and supervised on-ground waterway management and rehabilitation programs. He has expertise in application of hydrologic, hydraulic and sediment transport models. Vanessa Warrington Vanessa is a Senior Resource / Environmental Engineer with more than 15 years’ experience in the mining sector. She is passionate about river diversion and rehabilitation works and has a keen interest in mine rehabilitation and planning for mine closure throughout the project cycle. There is still much exciting works to be completed in this space and many learnings to be had from previous mine closures. Greg Ellett Greg is a Senior Resource Engineer and ecologist who specialises in waterway management, stream rehabilitation and ecological assessments. Over the last 10 years the majority of Greg’s work has been in the mining industry where he has applied his knowledge of landform design, hydraulic modelling, hydrology and ecology to the rehabilitation, design and monitoring of stream diversions in Central and Southern Queensland.

Andrew Chapman Andrew is a Senior Civil Engineer and Flood Modeller, with fifteen years’ experience. He has extensive experience in hydrologic analysis, flood modelling and water resource modelling for the transport and mining sectors. Andrew has a background in flood investigations for open cut coal mining projects. This includes the Mungara Underground Coal Project, Ensham Mine Project, Moorlands Coal Project and Byerwen Coal Project to determine the impact of diversions and levees on the neighbouring land. Jim Binney Jim is a Resource and Environmental Economist with over 20 years’ of postgraduate experience. Jim has experience across a broad range of resource and environmental management issues including water management (allocations, infrastructure investment (urban and rural), water use efficiency, water quality, and stormwater), catchment management, climate change, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, impacts of resource development projects, and natural capital valuation. Agata Chmielewski Agata is a social scientist and a highly experienced project manager over 15 years of leadership in social planning and strategic policy development. Agata has led a range of complex social impact, social research, evaluation and stakeholder engagement projects that have informed the delivery of public policy, programs and infrastructure. Agata is known for her rigorous, evidence-based approach and embedding the ‘human’ element into projects. Jason Carter Jason is a highly experienced Project Manager and experienced in the management and delivery of large multi- disciplinary natural resource management projects with a particular emphasis on rivers, wetlands, catchments and impact assessment. In recent years Jason has been managing major projects assessing the water related impacts of mining and Coal Seam Gas (CSG) developments and the associated development of management strategies for surface water and groundwater.

Rohan Lucas Melbourne [email protected] 03 9421 2532 +61 429 610 001 Canberra Ross Hardie 02 6249 7475 [email protected] +61 420 360 845 Sydney 02 7201 8414 Brisbane 07 3257 1628 Townsville 07 3257 1628 Newcastle 02 7201 8414 New Delhi +91 98119 30902