APPENDIX 22 CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN REPORT
CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN REPORT
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Document TitleCIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN REPORT
4a Old Main Road, Judges Walk, Kloof, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, 3610 PO Box 819, Gillitts, 3603, South Africa Tel: +27 (0) 31 764 7130 Fax: +27 (0) 31 764 7140 Web: www.gcs-sa.biz
GCS (Pty) Ltd. Reg No: 2004/000765/07 Est. 1987 Offices: Durban Johannesburg Lusaka Ostrava Pretoria Windhoek Directors: AC Johnstone (Managing) PF Labuschagne AWC Marais S Napier W Sherriff (Financial) Non-Executive Director: B Wilson-Jones
www.gcs-sa.biz
KwaZulu-Natal
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 1
Civil Engineering Design Report:
Version – Final
Title Civil Engineering Design Report: Aviemore North Adit and
Access Road, Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal
Director Pieter Labuschagne
13 November 2018
LEGAL NOTICE
This report or any proportion thereof and any associated documentation remain the property of GCS until the
mandatory effects payment of all fees and disbursements due to GCS in terms of the GCS Conditions of Contract and
Project Acceptance Form. Notwithstanding the aforesaid, any reproduction, duplication, copying, adaptation,
editing, change, disclosure, publication, distribution, incorporation, modification, lending, transfer, sending,
delivering, serving or broadcasting must be authorised in writing by GCS.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 2
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this report relating to the project description is based on
information supplied by the client and other client appointed sources. It is assumed that the
information provided to GCS is correct.
Environmental and social data, as well as the environmental impact assessment provided in
this report is based on information supplied by specialists in their respective fields, as well
as existing information pertaining to the area in question (including previous site investigation
data). It has been assumed that the information provided to GCS to present the outcomes of
this report is correct.
No responsibility is accepted by GCS for incomplete or inaccurate data supplied by others
(the client and external sources). Where gaps have been identified, these are listed for
consideration by the responsible decision-makers.
GCS’s opinions, conclusions and recommendations are based upon information that existed
at the time of the start of the production of this document.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GCS Water and Environment Pty Ltd (GCS) has been appointed by Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd
(Zinoju) to undertake the required Integrated Water Use License Application (IWULA) process
for the proposed Aviemore North Adit and Eastern Access Road (Aviemore North Adit). As part
of the application, a Civil Engineering Design Report is required for all infrastructure
associated with the proposed water uses. cPod Consulting (Pty) Ltd (cPod) have been
appointed by Zinoju as the engineers for the proposed project and as such, have conducted
a pre-feasibility study for the proposed North Adit and associated infrastructure. The
information presented in this report has been adapted from this pre-feasibility study and
aims to fulfil the requirements for the IWULA.
Aviemore Colliery (Aviemore) is an existing operational anthracite mine that is operated by
Buffalo Coal (Pty) Ltd (Buffalo), located approximately 9 kilometres (km) north-west of the
town of Dundee and approximately 325 km east-northeast of the City of Durban, in the
northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. Aviemore’s mining rights are held by
Zinoju. The current Aviemore mining operation is located along the northern and eastern
flanks of the Impati Mountain and the current underground workings are accessed through an
adit located on Farm Morgenstond No 3347. The location of the current Aviemore adit is not
suitable for the mineral reserves currently being mined due to the presence of a geological
upthrow/coal seam displacement. Aviemore has an estimated Run of Mine (ROM) reserve of
14.5 million tonnes (Mt) and the current reserve access will reach the end of its feasible life
within the next 2 to 2.5 years. A new adit location is therefore proposed to ensure optimum
access to the existing viable mineral reserves and to extend the Life of Mine (LOM) of the
mining operations at Aviemore by 13 years. The proposed development consists of the new
Aviemore North Adit and a new access road linking the North Adit with the P272 Provincial
Road, providing improved access to and extraction of the available mineral reserve.
The objective of this Civil Engineering Design Report was to illustrate preliminary designs for
the North Adit and its associated infrastructure requirements for mining the Gus coal seam
in order to fulfil the requirements for the IWULA. The report examined the proposed site
characteristics, proposed key infrastructural elements and the civil engineering services
namely, the bulk services area, materials handling area, surface infrastructure and
environmental study area. The civil engineering designs for these abovementioned civil
engineering services are included in Appendix A of this report.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 4
CONTENTS PAGE
DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................. 2
1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 6
1.1 ACTIVITY BACKGROUND ............................................................................. 6 1.2 CONTACT DETAILS ................................................................................... 7 1.3 REGIONAL SETTING AND LOCATION OF THE ACTIVITY ................................................ 7
2 SITE CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................. 9
2.2 GEOHYDROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................. 10 2.3 ADIT SITE SOIL PROFILE ............................................................................ 11
3 PROPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE AND DESIGN DESCRIPTION .................................. 13
3.1.1 North Adit Complex Preliminary Design Description (Block Plan) ............... 15
4 CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES ..................................................................... 21
4.1 KEY INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS AND FEATURES ................................................... 21 4.1.1 Bulk Services:.............................................................................. 21 4.1.2 Materials Handling: ...................................................................... 22 4.1.3 Surface Infrastructure: .................................................................. 22 4.1.4 Environmental: ............................................................................ 23
4.2 BULK SERVICES STUDY AREA ........................................................................ 24 4.2.1 Bulk and Potable Water Supply and Reticulation ................................... 24 4.2.2 Sewage Reticulation and Treatment .................................................. 32 4.2.3 Bulk Services Area – Preliminary Design and Implementation Risks ............. 37 4.2.4 Bulk Services Area - Future Work Required.......................................... 38 4.2.5 Bulk Services Area – Reference Drawings ............................................ 38
4.3 MATERIALS HANDLING STUDY AREA .......................................................... 38 4.3.1 Scope ........................................................................................ 39 4.3.2 Preliminary Design Parameters and Battery Limits ................................ 40 4.3.3 Preliminary Design Assumptions ....................................................... 41 4.3.4 Preliminary Design Description, Features and Analyses ........................... 42 4.3.5 Materials Handling Area - Design and Implementation Risks ..................... 45
4.4 SURFACE INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY AREA ................................................... 46 4.4.1 Adit Complex Primary Access and Haul Road and Ancillaries .................... 47 4.4.2 Adit Complex Infrastructure Platforms, Local Roads and Ancillaries ........... 48 4.4.3 Adit Complex Operational, Maintenance and Administration Support Buildings and Facilities ......................................................................................... 57 4.4.4 Weighbridge Facility ..................................................................... 68 4.4.5 Explosives Magazine ...................................................................... 68 4.4.6 Adit Complex Security Control and Fencing ......................................... 69 4.4.7 Surface Infrastructure Area - Design and Implementation Risks ................ 70 4.4.8 Surface Infrastructure Area - Future Work Required .............................. 71 4.4.9 Surface Infrastructure Area - Reference Drawings ................................. 72
4.5 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AREA ................................................................ 72 4.5.1 Adit Complex Dirty Water Management System .................................... 73 4.5.2 Adit Complex PCD and Ancillaries ..................................................... 75 4.5.3 Adit Complex Storm and Clean Water Management System ...................... 76 4.5.4 Adit Complex Dirty Water Treatment System ....................................... 76 4.5.5 Environmental Area - Design and Implementation Risks .......................... 76 4.5.6 Environmental Area - Future Work Required ........................................ 77 4.5.7 Environmental Area - Reference Drawings ........................................... 77
4.6 KEY RISKS SUMMARY ............................................................................ 78 4.6.1 Technical Risks Summary ................................................................ 78
4.7 DRAWING LIST ................................................................................... 79
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 5
5 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 80
6 REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 81
List of Figures
Figure 1-1 Locality Map of the proposed Adit and Access Route ................................... 8 Figure 3-1: Site Layout of the proposed Northern Adit and Eastern Access Route ............ 14 Figure 3-2: North Adit Complex –General Arrangement Block Plan .............................. 16 Figure 3-3: Stormwater Management Plan Overview ............................................... 20 Figure 4-1: North Adit Complex – Preliminary Water Supply and Reticulation Flow Diagram 26 Figure 4-2: North Adit Complex – Preliminary Water Supply and Reticulation Layout ........ 29 Figure 4-3: Preliminary Water Supply and Reticulation Layout ................................... 30 Figure 4-4: Preliminary Sewage Reticulation Layout ................................................ 35 Figure 4-5: Adit Conveyor and Stockpile Feed Conveyor Layout and Elevation ................ 40 Figure 4-6: Platforms and Local Roads, also Showing Activity Areas and Traffic Flow ....... 52 Figure 4-7: North Adit Complex Clean and Dirty Water Areas Summary ........................ 74
List of Tables
Table 1-1: Contact Details ................................................................................ 7 Table 4-1: Bulk Services Area ........................................................................... 24 Table 4-2: North Adit – Estimated Water Demand and Preliminary Design Flow Quantities . 27 Table 4-3: Existing Water Supply Borehole Characteristics – Larger North Adit Site Area ... 28 Table 4-4: Preliminary Design Pump Duties for Water Supply and Reticulation ............... 32 Table 4-5: Sewage System Preliminary Design Parameter Summary ............................. 33 Table 4-6: Preliminary Design Pump Duties for Treated Effluent Return to the PCD ......... 37 Table 4-7: Material Handlings Study Area ............................................................ 38 Table 4-8: Adit and Stockpile Feed Conveyors Key Preliminary Design Attributes ............ 42 Table 4-9: Surface Infrastructure Study Area ........................................................ 46 Table 4-10: Infrastructure Platforms Volumetric Characteristics Summary .................... 54 Table 4-11: Current and Planned North Adit Operations’ Head-Count Summary .............. 59 Table 4-12: Security and Safety Fencing Categories and Quantities Summary ................. 70 Table 4-13: Environmental Study Area ................................................................ 72 Table 4-14: Drawing List ................................................................................. 79
List of Appendices
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 6
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Activity Background
GCS Water and Environment Pty Ltd (GCS) has been appointed by Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd
(Zinoju) to undertake the required Integrated Water Use License Application (IWULA) process
for the proposed Aviemore North Adit and Eastern Access Road (Aviemore North Adit). As part
of the application, a Civil Engineering Design Report is required for all infrastructure
associated with the proposed water uses. cPod Consulting (Pty) Ltd (cPod) have been
appointed by Zinoju as the engineers for the proposed project and as such, have conducted
a pre-feasibility study for the proposed North Adit and associated infrastructure. The
information presented in this report has been adapted from this pre-feasibility study and
aims to fulfil the requirements for the IWULA.
Aviemore Colliery (Aviemore) is an existing operational anthracite mine that is operated by
Buffalo Coal (Pty) Ltd (Buffalo), located approximately 9 kilometres (km) north-west of the
town of Dundee and approximately 325 km east-northeast of the City of Durban, in the
northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. Aviemore’s mining rights are held by
Zinoju. The current Aviemore mining operation is located along the northern and eastern
flanks of the Impati Mountain and the current underground workings are accessed through an
adit located on Farm Morgenstond No 3347. The location of the current Aviemore adit is not
suitable for the mineral reserves currently being mined due to the presence of a geological
upthrow/coal seam displacement. Aviemore has an estimated Run of Mine (ROM) reserve of
14.5 million tonnes (Mt) and the current reserve access will reach the end of its feasible life
within the next 2 to 2.5 years. A new adit location is therefore proposed to ensure optimum
access to the existing viable mineral reserves and to extend the Life of Mine (LOM) of the
mining operations at Aviemore by 13 years. The proposed development consists of the new
Aviemore North Adit and a new access road linking the North Adit with the P272 Provincial
Road, providing improved access to and extraction of the available mineral reserve.
The proposed North Adit will allow for access for employees and equipment, coal extraction,
temporary coal stockpiling, coal loading and transportation. A pollution control dam (PCD),
site offices, parking spaces, change rooms, weighbridge, workshops and supporting
infrastructure have also been proposed at this adit location. This civil engineering design
report aims to illustrate and describe the proposed river crossings/impeding structures,
impoundment facilities, stockpile facilities, water treatment facilities and sewage
management facilities associated with the project to fulfil the requirements of the IWULA.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 7
1.2 Contact details
The applicant for this IWULA is Zinoju Coal. Refer to Table 1-1 for the contact details of the
applicant and the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) compiling the civil
engineering design report.
Name of the Company Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd
Name of the Mine Aviemore
Physical Address Coalfields, Dundee, 3000
Postal Address P.O BOX 984, Dundee, 3000
Telephone 034 212 1455
Contact Person Email: [email protected]
Name of the Company GCS Water and Environment (Pty) Ltd
Contact Person Brendan Smith
Physical Address 4a Old Main Road, 1 Judges Walk, Kloof, 3610
Postal Address P.O. Box 819, Gillitts, 3603
Telephone 031 764 7130
Email [email protected]
1.3 Regional Setting and Location of the Activity
The proposed Aviemore North Adit and access route is located to the west of the current
Aviemore adit, off the P272 road on the northern slopes of the Impati Mountain. The site
falls within the uMzinyathi District municipality (Endumeni/Dundee municipality) and the
Amajuba District Municipality (the northern end of the access route falls within the
Dannhauser Municipality). The site is situated in the V32E quaternary catchment, within the
Thukela Water Management Area (WMA) 7. The locality of the proposed adit and access route
is provided in Figure 1-1.
13 November 2018 Page 8
Figure 1-1 Locality Map of the proposed Adit and Access Route
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Aviemore North Adit and Access Road
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 9
2 SITE CHARACTERISTICS
The information presented in this section is derived from the pre-feasibility report by cPod
(2018).
2.1.1 Regional Geology
The northern KwaZulu-Natal region, where Dundee is situated, is underlain by the Vryheid
Formation of the Ecca Group, which forms part of the Karoo Sequence. The coal bearing
Vryheid Formation consists of the sedimentary rocks of sandstone, shale and mudrock, and
coal seams which are horizontally disposed and which generally dip gently. Intrusions by
dolerite sills from the Jurassic age are present in the formation.
The Klip River Coalfield, contained in the Vryheid Formation, hosts the coal deposits of
Buffalo Coal in Dundee. This coalfield includes the whole of the coal bearing area between
Ladysmith and Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal and is bounded in the east by the Buffalo
River and in the west by the foothills of the Drakensberg. There is an arbitrary boundary
between this coalfield and the Utrecht Coalfield to the north. Numerous dolerite sills and
intrusions have affected the coalfield, with four major sills (Zuinguin, Utrecht, Ingogo and
Talana), which dip gently to the south, having caused significant faulting with displacements
of up to 137m. Dykes that strike in a north-west south-east (NW-SE), and a north-east south-
west (NE-SW) direction are common throughout the coalfield and are associated with less
severe displacements. As a result of the intrusions, the coal qualities range from bituminous
coal to anthracite, generally high in quality and rich in vitrinite. There is an increased
frequency of cleating and jointing associated with the coal seams and therefore it is known
that the in-situ coal strength is negatively affected by these discontinuities.
2.1.2 Local Geology
According to the 1:250,000 geological map of the Dundee area, the larger North Adit site is
characterised by medium to coarse grained sandstone, grey micaceous shale, dark grey shale
and dolerite. The Vryheid formation in the area is about 380m thick and the main Utrecht
and Zuinguin dolerite sills are present. At least three major displacements occur in the larger
Aviemore coal reserve area which range from 20 meters (m) to 50m.
The flat plateau of the Impati Mountain comprises the partially weathered upper zone of a
dolerite sill overlying the dolerite dyke and sill intruded sediments of the Ecca Group. A thick
dolerite sill further passes over the sediments along the northern scarp of the mountain, in a
southerly direction. A complex transgressive ring dyke structure has been roughly outlined
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Aviemore North Adit and Access Road
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 10
below the western scarp of Impati Mountain, which hosts an inaccessible approximately 40m
downthrown coal area that is severely dolerite intruded.
Only two economical coal seams are present in the area, namely the Alfred (Upper) and Gus
(Lower) Seams. The Gus Seam tends to be high in sulphur and phosphorus. The parting
between the Alfred Seam and the Gus Seam in the area ranges from approximately 1m to
10m. The Alfred Seam is thin, averaging approximately 1m, while the Gus Seam has an
average seam height of approximately 1.7m.
2.2 Geohydrological characteristics
Three principal aquifers or types of groundwater systems are present in the larger Aviemore
coal reserve area as follows:
The weathered aquifer – represented by Karoo sedimentary rocks (mainly sandstone
with subordinate siltstone and shale) that possess a secondary porosity associated
with weathering;
The fractured Karoo aquifer – represented by Karoo sedimentary rocks below the
depth of weathering with water flowing through fractures within the rock. The
planned underground workings are situated within this fractured rock aquifer, which
is representative of a typical semi-confined aquifer; and
The fractured post-Karoo aquifer – represented by fractured and metamorphosed
lithologies associated with the contact zone between a dolerite sill intrusion and the
sedimentary host rock, as well as faulting.
The above types of groundwater systems are common to the groundwater regime that
characterises the Karoo Supergroup environment. The aquifers do not necessarily occur in
isolation of one another, but often forms a composite groundwater regime that is comprised
of one, some or all of the groundwater systems.
At the North Adit site, the weathered aquifer is perched and typically occurs at depths
between 0m and 15m below ground level, of which 5m - 10m is usually saturated because of
the impervious nature of the competent, horizontally stratified lithologies of the Vryheid
Formation. The Vryheid Formation is not known for the development of major aquifers, but
occasional high-yielding boreholes may be present. The aquifers that occur in the larger
Aviemore coal reserve area can therefore be classified as minor aquifers (low yielding), but
of high importance.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Aviemore North Adit and Access Road
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 11
A number of farm boreholes are present in the larger mining area and are mostly used for
small scale domestic and livestock watering purposes. The average water level in these
boreholes, resulting from a 2015 hydrocensus undertaken by GCS, was found to be
approximately 15m below natural ground level. Borehole yields however are mostly not
known, with borehole abstraction rates generally not being measured by the farmers. No
borehole pump testing has been conducted on any of the operational boreholes during the
hydrocensus, in an attempt to quantify the former.
Water rest levels in two of the geotechnical boreholes were recorded as 14.2m and 13.4m
below natural ground level, and occurring in the highly to slightly weathered sandstone and
siltstone hard overburden, below the soft overburden horizon. The recorded water levels
correlate well with the regional ground water level as determined by GCS (cPod, 2018).
Water qualities, as determined during the abovementioned hydrocensus, were generally
assessed as good, when compared against the DWS Domestic Use Target Water Quality Range
(1996), as well as the SANS Drinking Water Guidelines (2015).
2.3 Adit Site Soil Profile
A preliminary geotechnical assessment of the North Adit complex site was conducted by cPod
(2018). Test pits were excavated at the adit site, supplemented by Dynamic Probe Super
Heavy (DPSH) testing. The results showed that the greater part of the study area is
characterised by a deeply weathered boulder dolerite, alternatively a thick boulder scree
overburden to a depth of approximately 8m to 9m below natural ground level. This profile
can either be exposed on surface, or be covered with a hillwash of varying thickness. Residual
sandstone or siltstone was encountered in a single test pit where the boulder dolerite /
boulder scree was absent. The soft overburden is underlain by completely weathered siltstone
and sandstone, grading to highly, medium and unweathered, competent rock at depth. The
generalised soft overburden profiles of the adit site can preliminary be summarised as
follows:
Soft Overburden Profile Type 1:
0m to 1.9m (ave.): Hillwash…
4a Old Main Road, Judges Walk, Kloof, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, 3610 PO Box 819, Gillitts, 3603, South Africa Tel: +27 (0) 31 764 7130 Fax: +27 (0) 31 764 7140 Web: www.gcs-sa.biz
GCS (Pty) Ltd. Reg No: 2004/000765/07 Est. 1987 Offices: Durban Johannesburg Lusaka Ostrava Pretoria Windhoek Directors: AC Johnstone (Managing) PF Labuschagne AWC Marais S Napier W Sherriff (Financial) Non-Executive Director: B Wilson-Jones
www.gcs-sa.biz
KwaZulu-Natal
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 1
Civil Engineering Design Report:
Version – Final
Title Civil Engineering Design Report: Aviemore North Adit and
Access Road, Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal
Director Pieter Labuschagne
13 November 2018
LEGAL NOTICE
This report or any proportion thereof and any associated documentation remain the property of GCS until the
mandatory effects payment of all fees and disbursements due to GCS in terms of the GCS Conditions of Contract and
Project Acceptance Form. Notwithstanding the aforesaid, any reproduction, duplication, copying, adaptation,
editing, change, disclosure, publication, distribution, incorporation, modification, lending, transfer, sending,
delivering, serving or broadcasting must be authorised in writing by GCS.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 2
DISCLAIMER
The information contained in this report relating to the project description is based on
information supplied by the client and other client appointed sources. It is assumed that the
information provided to GCS is correct.
Environmental and social data, as well as the environmental impact assessment provided in
this report is based on information supplied by specialists in their respective fields, as well
as existing information pertaining to the area in question (including previous site investigation
data). It has been assumed that the information provided to GCS to present the outcomes of
this report is correct.
No responsibility is accepted by GCS for incomplete or inaccurate data supplied by others
(the client and external sources). Where gaps have been identified, these are listed for
consideration by the responsible decision-makers.
GCS’s opinions, conclusions and recommendations are based upon information that existed
at the time of the start of the production of this document.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
GCS Water and Environment Pty Ltd (GCS) has been appointed by Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd
(Zinoju) to undertake the required Integrated Water Use License Application (IWULA) process
for the proposed Aviemore North Adit and Eastern Access Road (Aviemore North Adit). As part
of the application, a Civil Engineering Design Report is required for all infrastructure
associated with the proposed water uses. cPod Consulting (Pty) Ltd (cPod) have been
appointed by Zinoju as the engineers for the proposed project and as such, have conducted
a pre-feasibility study for the proposed North Adit and associated infrastructure. The
information presented in this report has been adapted from this pre-feasibility study and
aims to fulfil the requirements for the IWULA.
Aviemore Colliery (Aviemore) is an existing operational anthracite mine that is operated by
Buffalo Coal (Pty) Ltd (Buffalo), located approximately 9 kilometres (km) north-west of the
town of Dundee and approximately 325 km east-northeast of the City of Durban, in the
northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. Aviemore’s mining rights are held by
Zinoju. The current Aviemore mining operation is located along the northern and eastern
flanks of the Impati Mountain and the current underground workings are accessed through an
adit located on Farm Morgenstond No 3347. The location of the current Aviemore adit is not
suitable for the mineral reserves currently being mined due to the presence of a geological
upthrow/coal seam displacement. Aviemore has an estimated Run of Mine (ROM) reserve of
14.5 million tonnes (Mt) and the current reserve access will reach the end of its feasible life
within the next 2 to 2.5 years. A new adit location is therefore proposed to ensure optimum
access to the existing viable mineral reserves and to extend the Life of Mine (LOM) of the
mining operations at Aviemore by 13 years. The proposed development consists of the new
Aviemore North Adit and a new access road linking the North Adit with the P272 Provincial
Road, providing improved access to and extraction of the available mineral reserve.
The objective of this Civil Engineering Design Report was to illustrate preliminary designs for
the North Adit and its associated infrastructure requirements for mining the Gus coal seam
in order to fulfil the requirements for the IWULA. The report examined the proposed site
characteristics, proposed key infrastructural elements and the civil engineering services
namely, the bulk services area, materials handling area, surface infrastructure and
environmental study area. The civil engineering designs for these abovementioned civil
engineering services are included in Appendix A of this report.
Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd Civil Engineering Design Report
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 4
CONTENTS PAGE
DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................. 2
1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 6
1.1 ACTIVITY BACKGROUND ............................................................................. 6 1.2 CONTACT DETAILS ................................................................................... 7 1.3 REGIONAL SETTING AND LOCATION OF THE ACTIVITY ................................................ 7
2 SITE CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................. 9
2.2 GEOHYDROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS .............................................................. 10 2.3 ADIT SITE SOIL PROFILE ............................................................................ 11
3 PROPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE AND DESIGN DESCRIPTION .................................. 13
3.1.1 North Adit Complex Preliminary Design Description (Block Plan) ............... 15
4 CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES ..................................................................... 21
4.1 KEY INFRASTRUCTURE ELEMENTS AND FEATURES ................................................... 21 4.1.1 Bulk Services:.............................................................................. 21 4.1.2 Materials Handling: ...................................................................... 22 4.1.3 Surface Infrastructure: .................................................................. 22 4.1.4 Environmental: ............................................................................ 23
4.2 BULK SERVICES STUDY AREA ........................................................................ 24 4.2.1 Bulk and Potable Water Supply and Reticulation ................................... 24 4.2.2 Sewage Reticulation and Treatment .................................................. 32 4.2.3 Bulk Services Area – Preliminary Design and Implementation Risks ............. 37 4.2.4 Bulk Services Area - Future Work Required.......................................... 38 4.2.5 Bulk Services Area – Reference Drawings ............................................ 38
4.3 MATERIALS HANDLING STUDY AREA .......................................................... 38 4.3.1 Scope ........................................................................................ 39 4.3.2 Preliminary Design Parameters and Battery Limits ................................ 40 4.3.3 Preliminary Design Assumptions ....................................................... 41 4.3.4 Preliminary Design Description, Features and Analyses ........................... 42 4.3.5 Materials Handling Area - Design and Implementation Risks ..................... 45
4.4 SURFACE INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY AREA ................................................... 46 4.4.1 Adit Complex Primary Access and Haul Road and Ancillaries .................... 47 4.4.2 Adit Complex Infrastructure Platforms, Local Roads and Ancillaries ........... 48 4.4.3 Adit Complex Operational, Maintenance and Administration Support Buildings and Facilities ......................................................................................... 57 4.4.4 Weighbridge Facility ..................................................................... 68 4.4.5 Explosives Magazine ...................................................................... 68 4.4.6 Adit Complex Security Control and Fencing ......................................... 69 4.4.7 Surface Infrastructure Area - Design and Implementation Risks ................ 70 4.4.8 Surface Infrastructure Area - Future Work Required .............................. 71 4.4.9 Surface Infrastructure Area - Reference Drawings ................................. 72
4.5 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY AREA ................................................................ 72 4.5.1 Adit Complex Dirty Water Management System .................................... 73 4.5.2 Adit Complex PCD and Ancillaries ..................................................... 75 4.5.3 Adit Complex Storm and Clean Water Management System ...................... 76 4.5.4 Adit Complex Dirty Water Treatment System ....................................... 76 4.5.5 Environmental Area - Design and Implementation Risks .......................... 76 4.5.6 Environmental Area - Future Work Required ........................................ 77 4.5.7 Environmental Area - Reference Drawings ........................................... 77
4.6 KEY RISKS SUMMARY ............................................................................ 78 4.6.1 Technical Risks Summary ................................................................ 78
4.7 DRAWING LIST ................................................................................... 79
18-0553 13 November 2018 Page 5
5 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 80
6 REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 81
List of Figures
Figure 1-1 Locality Map of the proposed Adit and Access Route ................................... 8 Figure 3-1: Site Layout of the proposed Northern Adit and Eastern Access Route ............ 14 Figure 3-2: North Adit Complex –General Arrangement Block Plan .............................. 16 Figure 3-3: Stormwater Management Plan Overview ............................................... 20 Figure 4-1: North Adit Complex – Preliminary Water Supply and Reticulation Flow Diagram 26 Figure 4-2: North Adit Complex – Preliminary Water Supply and Reticulation Layout ........ 29 Figure 4-3: Preliminary Water Supply and Reticulation Layout ................................... 30 Figure 4-4: Preliminary Sewage Reticulation Layout ................................................ 35 Figure 4-5: Adit Conveyor and Stockpile Feed Conveyor Layout and Elevation ................ 40 Figure 4-6: Platforms and Local Roads, also Showing Activity Areas and Traffic Flow ....... 52 Figure 4-7: North Adit Complex Clean and Dirty Water Areas Summary ........................ 74
List of Tables
Table 1-1: Contact Details ................................................................................ 7 Table 4-1: Bulk Services Area ........................................................................... 24 Table 4-2: North Adit – Estimated Water Demand and Preliminary Design Flow Quantities . 27 Table 4-3: Existing Water Supply Borehole Characteristics – Larger North Adit Site Area ... 28 Table 4-4: Preliminary Design Pump Duties for Water Supply and Reticulation ............... 32 Table 4-5: Sewage System Preliminary Design Parameter Summary ............................. 33 Table 4-6: Preliminary Design Pump Duties for Treated Effluent Return to the PCD ......... 37 Table 4-7: Material Handlings Study Area ............................................................ 38 Table 4-8: Adit and Stockpile Feed Conveyors Key Preliminary Design Attributes ............ 42 Table 4-9: Surface Infrastructure Study Area ........................................................ 46 Table 4-10: Infrastructure Platforms Volumetric Characteristics Summary .................... 54 Table 4-11: Current and Planned North Adit Operations’ Head-Count Summary .............. 59 Table 4-12: Security and Safety Fencing Categories and Quantities Summary ................. 70 Table 4-13: Environmental Study Area ................................................................ 72 Table 4-14: Drawing List ................................................................................. 79
List of Appendices
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1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Activity Background
GCS Water and Environment Pty Ltd (GCS) has been appointed by Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd
(Zinoju) to undertake the required Integrated Water Use License Application (IWULA) process
for the proposed Aviemore North Adit and Eastern Access Road (Aviemore North Adit). As part
of the application, a Civil Engineering Design Report is required for all infrastructure
associated with the proposed water uses. cPod Consulting (Pty) Ltd (cPod) have been
appointed by Zinoju as the engineers for the proposed project and as such, have conducted
a pre-feasibility study for the proposed North Adit and associated infrastructure. The
information presented in this report has been adapted from this pre-feasibility study and
aims to fulfil the requirements for the IWULA.
Aviemore Colliery (Aviemore) is an existing operational anthracite mine that is operated by
Buffalo Coal (Pty) Ltd (Buffalo), located approximately 9 kilometres (km) north-west of the
town of Dundee and approximately 325 km east-northeast of the City of Durban, in the
northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province of South Africa. Aviemore’s mining rights are held by
Zinoju. The current Aviemore mining operation is located along the northern and eastern
flanks of the Impati Mountain and the current underground workings are accessed through an
adit located on Farm Morgenstond No 3347. The location of the current Aviemore adit is not
suitable for the mineral reserves currently being mined due to the presence of a geological
upthrow/coal seam displacement. Aviemore has an estimated Run of Mine (ROM) reserve of
14.5 million tonnes (Mt) and the current reserve access will reach the end of its feasible life
within the next 2 to 2.5 years. A new adit location is therefore proposed to ensure optimum
access to the existing viable mineral reserves and to extend the Life of Mine (LOM) of the
mining operations at Aviemore by 13 years. The proposed development consists of the new
Aviemore North Adit and a new access road linking the North Adit with the P272 Provincial
Road, providing improved access to and extraction of the available mineral reserve.
The proposed North Adit will allow for access for employees and equipment, coal extraction,
temporary coal stockpiling, coal loading and transportation. A pollution control dam (PCD),
site offices, parking spaces, change rooms, weighbridge, workshops and supporting
infrastructure have also been proposed at this adit location. This civil engineering design
report aims to illustrate and describe the proposed river crossings/impeding structures,
impoundment facilities, stockpile facilities, water treatment facilities and sewage
management facilities associated with the project to fulfil the requirements of the IWULA.
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1.2 Contact details
The applicant for this IWULA is Zinoju Coal. Refer to Table 1-1 for the contact details of the
applicant and the Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) compiling the civil
engineering design report.
Name of the Company Zinoju Coal (Pty) Ltd
Name of the Mine Aviemore
Physical Address Coalfields, Dundee, 3000
Postal Address P.O BOX 984, Dundee, 3000
Telephone 034 212 1455
Contact Person Email: [email protected]
Name of the Company GCS Water and Environment (Pty) Ltd
Contact Person Brendan Smith
Physical Address 4a Old Main Road, 1 Judges Walk, Kloof, 3610
Postal Address P.O. Box 819, Gillitts, 3603
Telephone 031 764 7130
Email [email protected]
1.3 Regional Setting and Location of the Activity
The proposed Aviemore North Adit and access route is located to the west of the current
Aviemore adit, off the P272 road on the northern slopes of the Impati Mountain. The site
falls within the uMzinyathi District municipality (Endumeni/Dundee municipality) and the
Amajuba District Municipality (the northern end of the access route falls within the
Dannhauser Municipality). The site is situated in the V32E quaternary catchment, within the
Thukela Water Management Area (WMA) 7. The locality of the proposed adit and access route
is provided in Figure 1-1.
13 November 2018 Page 8
Figure 1-1 Locality Map of the proposed Adit and Access Route
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2 SITE CHARACTERISTICS
The information presented in this section is derived from the pre-feasibility report by cPod
(2018).
2.1.1 Regional Geology
The northern KwaZulu-Natal region, where Dundee is situated, is underlain by the Vryheid
Formation of the Ecca Group, which forms part of the Karoo Sequence. The coal bearing
Vryheid Formation consists of the sedimentary rocks of sandstone, shale and mudrock, and
coal seams which are horizontally disposed and which generally dip gently. Intrusions by
dolerite sills from the Jurassic age are present in the formation.
The Klip River Coalfield, contained in the Vryheid Formation, hosts the coal deposits of
Buffalo Coal in Dundee. This coalfield includes the whole of the coal bearing area between
Ladysmith and Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal and is bounded in the east by the Buffalo
River and in the west by the foothills of the Drakensberg. There is an arbitrary boundary
between this coalfield and the Utrecht Coalfield to the north. Numerous dolerite sills and
intrusions have affected the coalfield, with four major sills (Zuinguin, Utrecht, Ingogo and
Talana), which dip gently to the south, having caused significant faulting with displacements
of up to 137m. Dykes that strike in a north-west south-east (NW-SE), and a north-east south-
west (NE-SW) direction are common throughout the coalfield and are associated with less
severe displacements. As a result of the intrusions, the coal qualities range from bituminous
coal to anthracite, generally high in quality and rich in vitrinite. There is an increased
frequency of cleating and jointing associated with the coal seams and therefore it is known
that the in-situ coal strength is negatively affected by these discontinuities.
2.1.2 Local Geology
According to the 1:250,000 geological map of the Dundee area, the larger North Adit site is
characterised by medium to coarse grained sandstone, grey micaceous shale, dark grey shale
and dolerite. The Vryheid formation in the area is about 380m thick and the main Utrecht
and Zuinguin dolerite sills are present. At least three major displacements occur in the larger
Aviemore coal reserve area which range from 20 meters (m) to 50m.
The flat plateau of the Impati Mountain comprises the partially weathered upper zone of a
dolerite sill overlying the dolerite dyke and sill intruded sediments of the Ecca Group. A thick
dolerite sill further passes over the sediments along the northern scarp of the mountain, in a
southerly direction. A complex transgressive ring dyke structure has been roughly outlined
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below the western scarp of Impati Mountain, which hosts an inaccessible approximately 40m
downthrown coal area that is severely dolerite intruded.
Only two economical coal seams are present in the area, namely the Alfred (Upper) and Gus
(Lower) Seams. The Gus Seam tends to be high in sulphur and phosphorus. The parting
between the Alfred Seam and the Gus Seam in the area ranges from approximately 1m to
10m. The Alfred Seam is thin, averaging approximately 1m, while the Gus Seam has an
average seam height of approximately 1.7m.
2.2 Geohydrological characteristics
Three principal aquifers or types of groundwater systems are present in the larger Aviemore
coal reserve area as follows:
The weathered aquifer – represented by Karoo sedimentary rocks (mainly sandstone
with subordinate siltstone and shale) that possess a secondary porosity associated
with weathering;
The fractured Karoo aquifer – represented by Karoo sedimentary rocks below the
depth of weathering with water flowing through fractures within the rock. The
planned underground workings are situated within this fractured rock aquifer, which
is representative of a typical semi-confined aquifer; and
The fractured post-Karoo aquifer – represented by fractured and metamorphosed
lithologies associated with the contact zone between a dolerite sill intrusion and the
sedimentary host rock, as well as faulting.
The above types of groundwater systems are common to the groundwater regime that
characterises the Karoo Supergroup environment. The aquifers do not necessarily occur in
isolation of one another, but often forms a composite groundwater regime that is comprised
of one, some or all of the groundwater systems.
At the North Adit site, the weathered aquifer is perched and typically occurs at depths
between 0m and 15m below ground level, of which 5m - 10m is usually saturated because of
the impervious nature of the competent, horizontally stratified lithologies of the Vryheid
Formation. The Vryheid Formation is not known for the development of major aquifers, but
occasional high-yielding boreholes may be present. The aquifers that occur in the larger
Aviemore coal reserve area can therefore be classified as minor aquifers (low yielding), but
of high importance.
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A number of farm boreholes are present in the larger mining area and are mostly used for
small scale domestic and livestock watering purposes. The average water level in these
boreholes, resulting from a 2015 hydrocensus undertaken by GCS, was found to be
approximately 15m below natural ground level. Borehole yields however are mostly not
known, with borehole abstraction rates generally not being measured by the farmers. No
borehole pump testing has been conducted on any of the operational boreholes during the
hydrocensus, in an attempt to quantify the former.
Water rest levels in two of the geotechnical boreholes were recorded as 14.2m and 13.4m
below natural ground level, and occurring in the highly to slightly weathered sandstone and
siltstone hard overburden, below the soft overburden horizon. The recorded water levels
correlate well with the regional ground water level as determined by GCS (cPod, 2018).
Water qualities, as determined during the abovementioned hydrocensus, were generally
assessed as good, when compared against the DWS Domestic Use Target Water Quality Range
(1996), as well as the SANS Drinking Water Guidelines (2015).
2.3 Adit Site Soil Profile
A preliminary geotechnical assessment of the North Adit complex site was conducted by cPod
(2018). Test pits were excavated at the adit site, supplemented by Dynamic Probe Super
Heavy (DPSH) testing. The results showed that the greater part of the study area is
characterised by a deeply weathered boulder dolerite, alternatively a thick boulder scree
overburden to a depth of approximately 8m to 9m below natural ground level. This profile
can either be exposed on surface, or be covered with a hillwash of varying thickness. Residual
sandstone or siltstone was encountered in a single test pit where the boulder dolerite /
boulder scree was absent. The soft overburden is underlain by completely weathered siltstone
and sandstone, grading to highly, medium and unweathered, competent rock at depth. The
generalised soft overburden profiles of the adit site can preliminary be summarised as
follows:
Soft Overburden Profile Type 1:
0m to 1.9m (ave.): Hillwash…
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