all you can eat the cup leaf caterpillar has a taste for eucalypt alcoa anglesea 2010 environment report september ANGLESEA ENVIRONMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 2010 air Air Monitoring Stack Monitors Average Maximum Opacity g/min 10-minute average 0.060 0.191 61.45 82.42 Ambient Monitors SO2 1 hour ppb Average Maximum Community Centre 1 69 Primary School 1 113 Mt Ingoldsby 1 85 Scout Camp 7 119 Camp Wilkin 1 80 Camp Road 1 94 Stack SO2 kg/min 1-hour average Licence limit 100kg/min Ambient Monitors SO2 Maximum 1 hour averages (ppb) Date 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Comm Centre 0 0 5 69 0 0 0 30 13 0 0 49 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 Primary School 1 0 3 69 5 0 0 3 113 0 0 60 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 0 0 Mt Ingoldsby 0 0 2 85 0 0 3 22 7 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Scout Camp 10 0 5 1 5 73 5 2 2 43 108 4 4 1 104 4 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 119 89 97 114 67 1 89 Camp Wilkin 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 80 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Camp Road 3 0 1 94 9 0 1 1 53 0 0 71 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 7 49 0 0 1 EPA Air Quality Objective 200 Alcoa Local Standard 170 ANGLESEA ENVIRONMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 2010 water Water Storage Barwon Water storage levels for the Geelong system at 72.4% capacity. Stage 1 water restrictions apply. Water discharge ML September Total Ashponds (SP1) 111.6 1006.1 Mine (SP4) 0 0 Water Monitoring 16/09/2010 SP1 Ashpond SP4 Mine SP3 EPA Limit Lab Result 4 - 10 7.2 3 Susp Solids 100 <4 100 discharge 30 <4 Colour 50 0.85 50 at 50 18 Aluminium 10 0.12 10 time 5.5 73* Iron 10 0.22 20 of 4.0 0.59 Zinc 0.4 0.29 2.0 sampling 0.3 1.3* pH EPA Limit Lab Result Final 9 EPA Limit No 5 Lab Result 9 4.1* * NB: The results at SP3 appear to be outside EPA limits, but this is due to the pH levels in the natural tributaries to the Anglesea River impacting on our licenced discharge point. Alcoa Anglesea’s EPA licence includes provision for such conditions. This is a natural phenomenon that has generated much interest locally, to learn more visit: www.ccma.vic.gov.au/documents/AngleseaRiverFAQ.pdf Further information will also be provided in next month’s Alcoa Anglesea Environment Report. WATER WATER USE PER MONTH (ML) JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT Town Water 1.2 1.0 2.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.9 0.6 Bore Water 284 258 283 244 237 210 203 155 181 Mine Water 112 52 98 72 102 76 85 97 90 OCT NOV DEC ANGLESEA ENVIRONMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 2010 cup leaf moth Trees in the Anglesea region have been impacted this spring. You may have seen eucalypt trees in the area with leaves that look like they have been sucked dry. The cause has been the Cup Leaf Moth. These Alcoa Anglesea is a member of the Surf Coast Shi (SCS) Flora and Fauna Action Group (FFAG). The SCS received numerous enquiries about the large scale defoliation of eucalypt trees in the region; however they were unsure of the reason for the damage. The Shire raised the issue at the October meeting of the FFAG. ANGAIR and our own Mine Environmental Scientist, Elise Jeffery, noted that they had seen the effects of the moth more than five years ago. During that episode, Parks Victoria sent samples of the caterpillar to Museum Victoria for analysis and they were confirmed at the Cup Leaf Moth, Limacodes longerans. The caterpillar larval stage causes the damage to the trees, with the leaves being completely or partially eaten or cut off so they fall to the ground. Generally, the caterpillars are present in small numbers in the ecosystem. However sporadic outbreaks, like those that have been seen in recent time across the Shire, may cause severe damage with trees completely defoliated over a large area. The good news is that the trees will usually recover. The Plant of the Anglesea Heath article below features the Eucalyptus baxteri plant a favourite food of the cup leaf moth. Cup Leaf Moths belong to a small group of moths that have unusual slug-like caterpillars which are often beautifully marked and coloured. The caterpillars have clusters of retractable spines on their bodies that can inflict a sharp and painful sting, likened to that of a nettle sting. They do not have legs like other caterpillars, but glide over the leaf surface like a snail or slug. They derive their name from the cup shaped cocoons made by the caterpillars when they pupate. PLANTS OF THE ANGLESEA HEATH BROWN STRINGYBARK (Eucalyptus baxteri) Size: Habitat: Form: Distribution: Bark: Foliage: Flowers: Fruit: Did you know? 3 up to 40m damp and valley sclerophyll forests of foothills variable, medium sized tree with a rounded crown Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia brown, fibrous and stringy, persistent to small branches juvenile - opposite and ovate, paler green with wavy edges adult - thick, glossy green broadlanceolate leaves, 30mm x 15 cm white profuse flowers December - April clusters of 7 – 15 round fruit, usually 4 short valves slightly projecting the size of this tree is determined by the quality of the soil on which it is grown BROWN STRINGYBARK ANGLESEA ENVIRONMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 2010 LAND RAINFALL (mm) Long Term Average 2010 Rainfall JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT 42.9 41.6 40.2 51.9 59.9 59.1 63.0 65.8 66.9 5.0 67.0 63.0 57.0 30.2 71.8 47.4 121.2 56.8 OCT NOV DEC WATER TOWN WATER USE (ML) 2000 2009 2010 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP Amenity Water Use 1.0 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 1.7 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 Process Water use 2.0 1.1 0.6 1.1 0.9 1.1 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 1.8 0.4 OCT NOV DEC AIR GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG) TOTAL (Mt) & GHG EMISSION EFFICIENCY (t/mwH) GHG t GHG t/MWh 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 f orecast 1227846 1265103 1504860 1448793 1468098 1309674 1491486 1396713 1452351 1361632 1445999 1.24 1.19 1.21 1.21 1.20 1.21 1.20 1.18 1.23 1.22 1.19 ANGLESEA ENVIRONMENT REPORT SEPTEMBER 2010 environmental improvement Environmental Management Targets September 2010 Total 2010 Forecast 2010 Target Reportable Environmental Incidents 0 0 0 0 Env Near Miss vs Env Incident Run Rate (ratio) 6 4.4 4.4 2.5 100 100 100 90 September 2010 Total 2010 Forecast 2010 Target Ambient SO2 (no. readings > 200ppb) 0 0 0 0 Stack SO2 (no. hrs > 100kg/min) 0 0 0 0 SO2 Load Reductions (lost MWh) 19 146 195 NA 1.20 1.19 1.19 1.20 0 0 0 0 September 2010 Total 2010 Forecast 2010 Target Town Water (ML) 0.6 10.5 14.0 14.2 Bore Water (ML) 181 2054 2739 4000 Waste Targets September 2010 Total 2010 Forecast 2010 Target Waste to Landfill (t) 0 3.32 4.4 8 Solid Prescribed Waste to Landfill (t) 0 0 0 0 Monthly EHS ASAT Audit Completion (%) Air Emission Targets GHG Efficiency (t CO2 e/MWh) Opacity (10 min av > 0.25g/m3 norm ops) Water Targets Mine Rehabilitation Targets 2010 Total 2010 Target 2010 Area to Clear (ha) 3.1 3.1 2010 Area to Rehabilitate (ha) 5.4 > 3.1 OUR ENVIRONMENT AND OUR EMPLOYEE Hi Elise! What is the damage to the Eucalyptus leaves we can see in the Anglesea area? The defoliation of Eucalyptus trees in the Anglesea area, and across the Surf Coast, is caused by the caterpillar of the Cup Leaf Moth. It is the caterpillar (larval stage) that causes the damage to the leaves, not the moth. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of Eucalypts with many leaves completely or partially eaten and many more are cut off and fall to the ground resulting in bare branches. Have we seen this damage by the Cup Leaf Moth before? A similar occurrence of defoliation occurred in the Bald Hills area of the Anglesea Heath over five years ago. Dale Fuller from Parks Victoria sent off a sample of one the caterpillars to Museum Victoria for identification and they informed us it was the caterpillar of the Cup Leaf Moth. The trees recovered with new leaf growth the following spring. Has the moth/caterpillar had any effect on our rehabilitated areas? Is there anything that we can do to minimise the damage? As the caterpillars predominantly feed on eucalypt leaves, there is little impact on our mine rehabilitated areas. Our mine rehabilitation is young with few developed trees, so the areas aren’t able to provide a sufficient food source.