Where coal-mining and forestry meet head-on

Press, 8 September 1976, Page 21

Where coal-mining and forestry meet head-on

More coal for Canterbury’s industrialists to turn into much-needed power—greater destruction to forests and rivers. Was there a solution to the Garvey Creek open-cast mine problem to which all sides could agree? They put their heads together and found one. Store bv PAUL RANSLEY; pictures by COLIN SIMPSON.

Westland’s Garvey Creek mine is in the middle of the bush-clad foothills of the Southern Alps, on a ridge 2500 ft above sea level. It is an opencast mine and at first sight presents a gaping scar on the landscape — an ugly contrast to the surrounding green-covered hills which extend in all directions as far as the eye can see. Now, efforts are being made to restore and prevent further damage to the environment around the mine. So far, the destruction of the forest and the river below the mine has been the price paid so that Christchurch manufacturers can run their factories at a time when the fuel situation is critical.

The area is a prime example of where the national interest has had to be weighed against the conservation of the country’s native forests. And the forest has been losing. A large part of the ridge, which is rich in high-grade coal, has been stripped of its lush undergrowth and bulldozed and dynamited into piles of black coal, rotting tree stumps, bare rocks, and hard-packed brown dirt. On the side of the ridge parts of the forest have been destroyed as overburden from the mine has crashed down the hill. The large piles of coal give off rich hues of blue and purple, created by the refraction of light on surfaces covered in a thin slicker of oil, distilled from the coal at an early stage. It is aptly called “peacock” coal. It sits amid a serene mountain stillness which is occasionally shattered by the persistent growling of a bulldozer or the echoing staccato of a pneumatic drill.

The turn-off to the mine is on the Lewis Pass Road, 17 km east of the rusty, weather - beaten town of Reefton. An Automobile Association sign points to a thin shingle road which winds steeply for about two miles to the mine. Small coal seams litter the hillside of the road. In places small shafts enter the hill from the road — remnants of an earlier coal-mining age. The Garvey Creek mine has been in operation for 16 years. Until two years ago it was worked only six weeks of the year, but the increased demand for good industrial coal has promoted the employment of two men all year round. They produce two hundred tons of coal a

day, and the coal is taken by a stream of trucks to Reefton and made ready for shipment across the Alps to Christchurch. The coal deposits in the present area of the mine — which was opened before any environmental procedures were instituted —- have almost been worked out. Therefore, the Mines Department has decided to extend the mine along the ridge to strike the further large coal deposits. This decision created a small storm within the Forestry Department and the Westland Catchment Board. Both feared greater damage to the forest, and the Waitahu River which runs along a valley at the bottom of the mine. The Catchment Board and the Forestry Department did not immediately veto the extension but they made sure the Mines Department was aware of their concern. The main problem was the overburden — rocks and dirt — from the mine which had to be cleared to get to the coal. Since the mine has been operating, nearly a quarter of a million cubic metres of overburden has been removed. Most of it has been pushed down the hill on either side of the ridge. It has destroyed about 30 acres of forest and has crept into the Waitaliu River. It was the natural concern of the Catchment Board and the Forestry Department that the estimated 700,000 cubic metres of overburden which had to be removed from the extension might further damage the enviroment. And because the coal seam was dropping further below the ground, the scale of overburden was also increasing. The problem was complicated by some legal factors of jurisdiction. The area around the coal field is designated as a State Forest Reserve but the Mines Department has exclusive right to the coal because the field is designated as State Coal re-

serve. The Catchment Board, which wanted to stop overburden getting into the river, had no legal means of doing this before it occurred and could only issue offence notices afterwards. It was rather like shutting the stable gate after the horse had bolted, and the Mines Department and the Catchment Board certainly did not want to become involved in a series of protracted civil actions. At an early stage it appeared that the problem might have to be decided at a national level but the two government departments and the board finally worked out a satisfactory compromise.This compromise was something of a tribute to bureaucracy. Throughout the issue both the department and the board were aware of the importance of Garvey Creek coal to New Zealand industry, and particularly to Canterbury. They were also aware of the importance of the mining industry to the West Coast.

In early August the three groups met, under the chairmanship of the assistant commissioner for the environment (Mr Johh Wendelton). The Forestry Department and the board agreed that the mine should be extended — but under special conditions. The Mines Department will set aside money for the replanting of damaged forest areas. The overburden from the extension will be pushed back on to the area of the mine which has been worked out, to rebuild the hill. And the overburden which runs down to the river will be paddocked at the bottom of the valley before it reaches the water, under the watchful eye of the Catchment Board’s engineers. It is a simple solution which has pleased all the parties because it was settled at the local level. The district manager of mines on the West Coast (Mr J. Lundon) says that

the department has called for tenders for tl.e stripping of overburden from the next section of the seam. me department hopes to increase the output from the mine from 200 tons to 300 tons a day. It is not easy to predict when the mine will run out but the coal seam extends right through the hill, he says. "At present, the output of the mine could contin ? for many years. We m'J t increase production even further, but we feel it would be better just to keep the customers we have and not to work the mine out too fast.” Extending the mine depends on the comparison of costr ’ remo-. ing overburden and extracting the coal to the sale price of coal. Mr Lundon expects the price of coal to rise soon. “It is difficult to dispose of overburden without doing some damage. We have not done too much and in the long run we are obliged to reseed the area, depending on the require-

ments of the Forestry Department." Commenting on the extension to the mine the chairman of the Catchment Board (Mr G. K. Ferguson) says that it is essential the coat j s for the benefit of the nation. “But we have to watch from the conservation point of view that as little damage is done to the environment as possible. We have to balance the use of our valuable coal resources with the management of the environment.” He says that the board will get exper. advice on handling the overburden.

“Very little of the overburden has reached the river but it has to go somewhere. I’he Mines Department hopes to bring it back over the area which was, first stripped and concentrate on one tipping point. “We are certain that our chief engineer can devise a method of building a trap to act as a settling pond at the bottom of the gully to stop overburden getting into the river. This

will be investigated and undertaken by the Catchment Board. “I believe there will be a lot more of this type of work on the West Coast, and it is essential we work out a policy acceptable to the needs of the environment and the economy. This kind of work is in its infancy and it is imperative that we learn new methods of handling the problem. 1 am certain our expert staff will work out an acceptable method of stripping and paddocking, and maintain the water and soil values.” Mr Feiguson is happv with the co-operation between the three parties. "You just have to use a bit of commonsense.” he says. Opencast mining means money sat ed. Coal costs about $l6 a ton to mine at Garvey Creek compared with about $66 a ton at an underground mine which was recently closed. “This means we can win coal at a reasonable price — provided it does not rip the guts out of the country. We hope to start re-

habilitation straight away We can benefit from the example of America w her much land has been de« troyed by opencast mining. W’e are getting off on the ground floor." The conservator of forests in the area (Mr P. W Maplesdenl agrees that forest has been damaged but he says it is not great And Mr Maplesden echoes the feelings of even body involved in the episode: “Here is a case where one has to weigh very carefully the national need in relation to the forest situation. At the present time the acquisition of fuel is very important but, at the same time, you cannot go on without a thought for the forests.”