MAIN ROADS Western Australia May 2009 3 of 38 PEIA&EMP Collie – Williams Road: Upgrade and widen north of Boys Home Road. The intersection of Pinjarra Road, Husband Road and Ronlyn Road, in the shire of Murray (farm of Furnissdale), is planned to be upgraded with the installation of traffic lights and road improvements. Main Roads South West Region plans to use Southern Road Services undertake these works at the end of the summer construction period.
The work includes the construction of roadside drainage and a retention basin to solve drainage problems at the intersection. The project also includes the construction of a new entry lane from Pinjarra Road to Husband Road and an exit lane from Husband Road to Pinjarra Road; this is done with existing and imported material. As the proposed works involve the clearing of native vegetation outside the maintenance area, a Project Specific Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (PEIA) and Environmental Management Plan (EMO) are required.
The location and boundaries of the study area are shown on Figure 1 and the project plan drawing, Figure 2. MAIN ROADS Western Australia May 2009 5 of 38 PEIA&EMP Collie – Williams Road: Upgrade and widen north of Boys Home Road.
P RELIMINARY D ESKTOP S TUDY
S ITE I NVESTIGATION
D ESCRIPTION
V EGETATION EXTENT
MAIN ROADS Western Australia May 2009 7 of 38 PEIA&EMP Collie – Williams Road: upgrade and widening north of Boys Home Road. MAIN ROADS Western Australia May 2009 9 of 38 PEIA&EMP Collie – Williams Road: upgrade and widening north of Boys Home Road. The term does not include vegetation that has been intentionally sown, planted or propagated unless required by a legal requirement.
Apart from activities exempted under the clearing regulations, such as clearing vegetation less than 10 years old for maintenance, typically all main road clearing will be undertaken using its statewide project purpose permit.
A SSESSMENT AGAINST C LEARING P RINCIPLES
E NVIRONMENTALLY S ENSITIVE A REA (ESA)
The risk of spreading these weed species as part of the proposed work must be minimized. Given the degraded nature and high disturbance of the vegetation and the presence of a dead jarrah in the project area, it is suspected that P. Using traffic management and signage according to Highway Standards, none of the proposed works pose any significant hazards to the public in not safety.
Contamination Given the relatively superficial nature of the required earthworks and taking into account previous land use (ie native vegetation), there appears to be a low risk of significant contamination issues. Salinity Given the nature and small scale of the project, the impact is not relevant. It is noted that the project area is located in a Class 1: High to Moderate Risk of Acidic Sulphate Soils (ASD) site within 3 meters of the natural soil surface.
Given the scale of the project (i.e. only 0.08 Ha of natural vegetation to be cleared, in a degraded state (Keighery Condition Level 5)), the low significance of its impacts on the surrounding environment and the proposed environmental management measures, the project does not require referral to the WA Environment Protection Authority or the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water Resources, Population and Communities. This section of the report has been developed to provide an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the project area following completion of the above sections.
C OMMUNICATION P LAN
The project-specific management measures identified in this EMP are in addition to the standard specifications applicable to Category 2 projects. The environmental management measures/conditions in the Highway and 304 Specifications are still to be followed where applicable.
E XTERNAL C OMMUNICATION AND C OMPLAINTS
Ensure that the overall objectives of the alignment and construction works are compatible with the maintenance and, where possible, the enhancement of the biological integrity of the surrounding environment and the minimization. Ensure that the construction of the proposal is managed to a standard that minimizes any adverse impact on the environment. Fire Ensure that the fire risk associated with the construction of the proposal is minimized.
Ensure that the site is managed so that the construction of the proposal has minimal impact on the surrounding environment. All construction waste materials must be completely removed from the site after construction is completed. Final cleaning must be to the satisfaction of the Project Manager and Site Supervisor.
Given the scale and nature of the project, no contingency, monitoring or audit measures have been identified as the inherent environmental risks are small. Details of the coverage of this report and qualifications of data supporting this report are contained in the disclaimer at the end of the report. This part of the report summarizes the conditions of national environmental significance that may occur in or may relate to the area you have designated.
Additional information is available in the detailed section of the report, which can be accessed by scrolling or following the links below. This section of the report summarizes other matters protected under the law that may relate to the area you have designated. As the heritage values of a site are part of the 'environment', these aspects of the EPBC Act protect the Commonwealth Heritage values of a Commonwealth Heritage site and the heritage values of a site on the National Heritage Register.
This part of the report provides information that may also be relevant to the area you have nominated. Most of the trees to be cleared are not old enough to provide suitable habitat for nesting fauna. There are a number of fauna species listed on the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities website (refer Appendix F) as threatened species; however, given the degraded and minor nature of the clearance involved, and the location of the project area - at the intersection of Pinjarra and Husband Roads, the area is considered to be unsuitable habitat for these species, and therefore the proposal is not considered to deviate from this principle.
Comments The proposal does NOT contradict this principle. There is no TEC in the project area. The vegetation complex of the vegetation proposed for removal (middle forest; jarrah-marri / low forest; banksia / low forest; tea tree (Melaleuca spp.)) represents 28.92% of the pre-European settlement, which is just under 30%. Considering the small the extent of required clearance (0.08ha), existing degraded nature (Keighery Vegetation Condition 5), separated by a water easement and proximity to Pinjarra Road and Husband Roads is considered unlikely to contravene this principle.
Methodology Site Inspection Environmental Officer (October 2010) Main Roads GIS Database Search Appendix B. g) Native vegetation should not be cleared if the clearing of the vegetation is likely to result in significant soil degradation.
