Cabbage Tree Road Sand Quarry

I am vehemently opposed to this sand mine for many reasons.
It WILL impact on the natural environment around my property, we have Koala's living in this area, all of our trees which are Koala habitat and/or food are marked and we see them regularly. The removal of their habitat can only lead to a decline in numbers.
It WILL impact the traffic congestion and associated road noise along our street frontage making it much less enjoyable to live there.
It WILL contribute to the increase in the water table as the vegetation is removed, our property is already flood prone, this will render more than 50% of our property useless.
It WILL in raising the water table increase the risk of inundation from PFOS and PFOA contamination from ground flooding on my property.
It WILL impact on my weekends with operations creating noise and dust.
It WILL make dust during wind events as the vegetation is removed there will be nothing stopping the dust being swept into the atmosphere.
It WILL devalue my property.
There was NO notifications from any local government about this prior to a couple of blokes in an old ute calling in one day.
There has been NO consideration given to me, my losses and the effects upon myself and my family due to this proposed sand mine.
I cannot and will not support this sand mine in any way shape or form. It is not appropriate for the area both from an environmental and personal point of view.
Further more I can not see any reason why habitat and peoples lives have to be destroyed to mine sand when we have massive sand dunes within sight of our property, ones without vegetation people living near and where sand mining is already being done.

As pointed out this project 'may' impact on Koala habitat... koalas should be considered an endangered species in Pt Stephens- perhaps they are already? 'May' pretty much means 'will'...

As well: consider the acquirer and general noise... Modelling is fine... but does not satisfy me...

I strong oppose the planned extension of the sand mine.

The health of the community and protection of our natural resources needs to be prioritized and given a greater value.

NO SAND MINE. It will
-clear importantKoala habitat
-locatedwithin groundwater catchment supplying drinking water
-located in toxic red zone and the spread of contamination has not been assessed
-no offset package (EIS) therefore application invalid
-extra 140 truck movements per day
-health impacts silicosis & other respiratory impacts

Dear Government,

I am writing to express that as one of many people in the communities surrounding Port Stephens and the Newcastle region I am opposed to the planned 'Cabbage Tree Road Sand Quarry'.

This proposal and development of said structure would ultimately be disastrous for the beautiful wildlife in particular the Koala's that call this region home. Australia has some of the most stunning wildlife and it is up to us as citizens to do what we can to protect the lives of these creatures.

Not only this but the risks that this quarry poses to the waterways and water supplies is too dangerous. Fresh water is critical to the survival of both human and animal species, we can not keep allowing these bodies of water to be damaged or risk any further contamination.

I seriously hope that peoples voices are heard and that the lives of wildlife is considered before any approval and developments occur.


Sincerely,
Kimberley Coward

Dear Government,

I am writing to express that as one of many people in the communities surrounding Port Stephens and the Newcastle region I am opposed to the planned 'Cabbage Tree Road Sand Quarry'.

This proposal and development of said structure would ultimately be disastrous for the beautiful wildlife in particular the Koala's that call this region home. Australia has some of the most stunning wildlife and it is up to us as citizens to do what we can to protect the lives of these creatures.

Not only this but the risks that this quarry poses to the waterways and water supplies is too dangerous. Fresh water is critical to the survival of both human and animal species, we can not keep allowing these bodies of water to be damaged or risk any further contamination.

I seriously hope that peoples voices are heard and that the lives of wildlife is considered before any approval and developments occur.


Sincerely,
Leeanne Campbell

I have lived in the port stephens area for over 20 years and previously visited the area before that because of the beauty, bushlands and native animals that were seen frequently around the area.lve sadly watched this beautiful place be developed and animals suffer because of it,yes they try to live among us but we have domestic pets and cars that either hurt them or worse kill them,our koalas are diminishing and not many are seen now,disease strikes as they do t have enough area to spread out,animal rescue groups are working overtime saving injured animals,we have to save them and stop being greedy and start conserving land for them before its too late and we have no koalas left in port stephens except for animal parks.think about the animals for once this is their home too and do not go ahead with this unnecessary sand mine and poison our water supply too.

I am dismayed and angry that sand mining has been approved to the detriment of a koala sanctuary and on a personal note to the detriment of the purity of my drinking water. Once the sand beds are contaminated, which they will be, the safety and purity of the staple of life will be jeopardized!

I would like to submit the request not to approve the sand mining in 'Cabbage Tree Road Sand Quarry'.

The reasons are many and varied:

The sand mine will clear important habitat for the Port Stephens koala population.

The sand mine is located within a groundwater catchment that supplies drinking water to the Hunter.

The sand mine is located within the 'Red Zone' where groundwater is contaminated by toxic chemicals from the Williamtown RAAF base and the impact a sand mine in this area may have on the spread of contamination has not been assessed.

There is no offset package described in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), therefore the application is invalid.

There are serious health impacts from sand mining such as silicosis and other respiratory illnesses.

The sand mine will create an extra 140 truck movements per day.

I would also like to refer to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. I believe that was published in 2014.
There was mention of the possible extinction of the koala in the wild. Approving this sandmine will see the extinction of the koala in the wild in Williamtown. Sadly negative effects on koala habitats like these is happening everywhere in Australia. Surely we can not let this go on.

There is also climate change. This is the most serious issue facing us. We should really stop destroying our natural environment and give it all the protection and help to overcome and adjust to climate change.

We just cannot go on destroying our natural environment and everything in it. It looks like humans are hell bent on destroying everything. We have to stop doing this.

When are we going to stop? When there is nothing left? Just have a look at other countries where there is no natural environment left.

I would also like to point out, again an article in the SMH, that in the last 30 years 40% of all animals have disappeared from earth. Are we going on like this? Are we going to let everything disappear and then look around and ask ourselves how we have left this happen?

There is a mass extinction of animals and plants going on at this moment and no one seems to care. Maybe we deserve to go extinct as well?

Please DO NOT APPROVE THIS request to mine Williamtown. There is a myriad of reasons not to go ahead with this.

Thank you for your time.

I am writing to object to the proposed sand mine on cabbage tree road.

This area is home to a population of koalas which is a species that is suffering in the area generally. The impact that this development will have on this species must be considered in terms of the broader bioregion, not just the footprint of the site.

I also object because of the contamination that has already occurred at the Williamtown RAAF base. As this sand mine site is in the red zone, and there is still very little known about the contaminants and how they are travelling through the aquifers, it is imperative that an operation such as this must be stopped. Independent ground water experts need to be asked if this operation would disturb the ground water and potentially disrupt and complicate groundwater flows and the existing contaminants.

Thank you for considering my submission

Sincerely
Charlotte McCabe

I do not support this proposal as I think - as well as everyone else I speak to does - this is environmentally not appropriate, no, very concerning; and this not only for the region's wildlife but certainly also for the local residents. I strongly encourage to rethink the planned project and to involve and consult environmental experts. It's time to stop mining. The future requires other methods for survival. Mining is not sustainable.

I am writing to voice my opposition to the Cabbage Tree Road Sand Quarry for the following reasons:
1. The sand mine will clear important habitat for the Port Stephens koala population.
2. It is located within a groundwater catchment that supplies drinking water to the Hunter and is also located within the 'Red Zone' where groundwater is contaminated by toxic chemicals from the Williamtown RAAF base and the impact a sand mine in this area may have on the spread of contamination has not been assessed.
3. There is no offset package described in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), therefore the application is invalid.
4. There are serious health impacts from sand mining such as silicosis and other respiratory illnesses and the sand mine will create an extra 140 truck movements per day.

My late husband worked at Tomago Hunter Water for many years and he was always concerned that greed would take away the wonderful habitat and clean water from Tomago and the sandbeds and it seems to be coming true. There has to be more than dollars for making good decisions so that generations of people yet to be born will not just look in books to see how things used to be and should still be.

I have deep concerns about the proposed sand mining in Port Stephens known as Cabbage tree road sand quarry. This will remove 50 hectares of bush, habitat to koalas and other flora and fauna that is vital to our diverse ecosystems as well as taking precious water retention land that protects the groundwater critical to our water supplies. The movement of an additional ,approximately, 150 trucks per day on the roads will add to the traffic congestion on these local roads.

Please reconsider the long term environmental and social displacement that this proposed sand mine will create

I have lived at the above address since 1981 and have visited the proposed site many times during that period, so feel qualified to make the following submission, which is in alphabetical order.

Aboriginal Archaeology & Cultural Heritage:
The site contains many Aboriginal artefacts such as stone tools which are visible on the live dunes.

Air Quality:
The study was carried out with 3.1m/s winds and as we regularly experience W/NW winds of over 70kmh, i.e.>20m/s, these results and the subsequent conclusions are wildly inaccurate.

Consultation:
Despite the study's claim we have never been approached personally, by letter, by email or by telephone by Williamtown Sand Syndicate Pty Ltd or their agents.

Employment:
Another physically large scale operation for very few permanent positions.

Historical Archaeology & Cultural Heritage Values:
The area does contain such sites as the foundations for World War 2 RAAF Radar Installations, etc.

Noise:
While the actual quarrying operation may have little impact on the ambient noise level, the noise from the accelerating fully laden sand trucks travelling up the merging lane in front of 365 Cabbage Tree Road will result in a definite increase to ambient noise levels. And I believe an additional condition if the project is approved is the erection of noise abatement barriers for those residents opposite the truck accelerating/decelerating zones to reduce this noise, as is currently the accepted practice along many roads and motorways.

Omissions:
The EIS has omitted to provide a Biodiversity Offset Plan as well a Cumulative Effect on the Koala Habitat Study.

Traffic:
The study states there will be 63 trucks per day entering and exiting the quarry via the new intersection which allows only a left turn on exiting. Now it also identifies that 40% will be travelling to Sydney and the Central Coast, 36% to the Maitland Area and 24% to Newcastle and the Lake Macquarie Area. Based on these figures and current sand truck movements, it is reasonable to assume say half of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie trucks will travel via Kooragang Island and the rest together with all the other trucks will have to travel up to the Nelson Bay Road Roundabout and then come back down Cabbage Tree Road to travel to their destinations. This will therefore result in a total of not only the 63 trucks travelling east, but the 55 trucks that have travelled up to the roundabout and then come back down Cabbage Tree Road. So total truck movements in front of 365 Cabbage Tree Road will increase by 118 per day. The study fails to acknowledge these dual movements and the noise they will generate.

Vegetation:
The study fails to mention many of the other species that grow in the area such as Xanthorrhoea, Cycads, Blandfordia, etc. The rehabilitation plan fails to mention which species will be replanted. Previous rehabilitation from previous mining by RZM has resulted in little more than a monoculture of Eucalypts.

Water:
The area is located with the Tomago Sandbeds Catchment Area, and as well as in the "Red Zone" of the area contaminated by the PFOS/PFOA leaching from RAAF Williamtown. As PFOS & PFOA disperse primarily via the surface water, will the lowering of the ground level affect this contamination spread as the ground level will be much lower and subject to possible inundation during adverse weather conditions?

Wildlife:
The area is a well know koala habitat with koalas regularly sited and travelling across Cabbage Tree Road to the Eucalypts in 365 Cabbage Tree Road as well as surrounding properties on the southern, eastern and western side of the proposed quarry.
While there is a wildlife corridor proposed within the quarry area, it is insufficient. There are no wildlife corridors running north/south through Areas A & B. So how can wildlife get from the bushland to the north of the site to the unmined areas between Areas A & B and the unmined area on the northern side of Cabbage Tree Road?

I am a local resident , I believe it is wrong to allow the Sand Quarry to be accepted for approval.

* Residents do NOT deserve any more pollution , more trucks on the road, of all different hours will become a noise disturbance for residents living on Cabagetree Road and surroundings. The communities Health should come first, a priority, there are young families and older retiries with low immune systems, they are at a serious health risk.

* I can not understand how the Sand Quarry would of had any approval when the RAAF has polluted toxic chemicals pfos and pfoa and the area is contaminated.
*I do not want harm to our koalas and other animals, if this goes ahead it will destroy the area.

AND ...again I do not know how it is been considered for the sand quarry , our mayor of port Stephens is under investigation for having toxic chemicals and disposing of them illegally in the local community.
The community feels on edge as he said he was going to blow up Stockton and hexham bridges because he did not want to merge with council.

Our community has been through enough,and we have had enough!, families are passed breaking point.

I am a local resident , I believe it is wrong to allow the Sand Quarry to be accepted for approval.

* Residents do NOT deserve any more pollution , more trucks on the road, of all different hours will become a noise disturbance for residents living on Cabagetree Road and surroundings. The communities Health should come first, a priority, there are young families and older retiries with low immune systems, they are at a serious health risk.

* I can not understand how the Sand Quarry would of had any approval when the RAAF has polluted toxic chemicals pfos and pfoa and the area is contaminated.
*I do not want harm to our koalas and other animals, if this goes ahead it will destroy the area.

AND ...again I do not know how it is been considered for the sand quarry , our mayor of port Stephens is under investigation for having toxic chemicals and disposing of them illegally in the local community.
The community feels on edge as he said he was going to blow up Stockton and hexham bridges because he did not want to merge with council.

Our community has been through enough,and we have had enough!, families are passed breaking point.

I wish to object to the proposed Sandmine at Cabbage Tree Road in Williamtown. This development will destroy native habitat and push our threatened koalas closer to the brink of extinction. How any government body even consider this proposal when so much publicity has surrounded our dwindling koala population recently begs belief?
Apart from the loss of our native bushland this development also poses a threat to our drinking water supply. It is already well documented about the contamination that has already occurred around the Williamtown area.The potential risk of further contamination can only increase if this development goes ahead.
Furthermore it can only exasperate the issues already being faced by the Williamtown residents who have been pushed to breaking point by the recent contamination. Apart from the risk of further contamination by this development the landscape will be degraded and scarred when the bulldozers commence clearing the site. What an eyesore it will be!
The environmental and in turn the social impact of this proposed Sandmine will be irreversible. For these reasons alone this development should never be allowed to go ahead.

I am writing in regards to the recent approval of sand mining in the Willliamtown area. This operation will take place in our water catchment area which will affect our water supply as well as destroy koala habitat. Koalas are an endangered species which much be protected for their survival. They are are a great tourism attraction and they deserve to be protected. A lot of people are against sand mining due to health problems, for example, respiratory problems such as asthma. All of these problems must be addressed immediately and urgent action must be taken to preserve our beautiful area for everyone to enjoy

I am writing to submit my objection to the Cabbage Tree Road Sand Quarry. I live in the local area and it is not my wish for animals and the local community's health and drinking water to be put at risk for company profits. I strongly urge the department of planning and environment reject this proposal. We need to preserve our water and habitats at all cost! especially not for the dollar profits of big business.