Sellicks Hill (Southern Quarries)
Southern Quarries operates the dolomite and bluestone quarry at Sellicks Hill, which has been mined since the early 1970s and is owned by Adelaide Brighton Limited. The mine is regulated by the Department of Energy and Mining, and is also required to be licensed by the EPA for activities of environmental significance. Licence conditions include dust prevention, stormwater management, waste management and operational management.
The Sellicks Hill Quarry is an area of ongoing focus for the EPA to ensure that site operator Southern Quarries is taking appropriate steps to manage dust. Over the past year, the EPA has been in regular contact and conducting various compliance activities.
In March 2016 the EPA revised licence conditions for Southern Quarries to develop a dust management plan. This plan, implemented in June 2016, requires Southern Quarries to identify likely sources of dust from its activities and provide all reasonable and practicable measures to minimise dust emissions.
While a number of steps have been taken to reduce dust, this remains of concern to local residents and the EPA. Southern Quarries is now required to take further measures to contain and minimise the amount of dust leaving the site. The EPA instructed Southern Quarries to commission an independent review of the dust controls by an external consultant to identify whether there are more sources of dust which need to be managed and mitigated, and to implement these findings.
As an EPA licensee, Southern Quarries is responsible for:
- undertaking an independent review of dust controls by an external consultant – completed 31 March 2019
- installing an enclosure over the tertiary crusher surge bin – completed 30 June 2019
- installing 2 enclosures over the secondary screens – completed 31 July 2019
- installing a self-bunded fuel tank, and re-seal the quarry entrance up to and around the weighbridge – completed 31 October 2019
- installing a 500-tonne storage bin for the secondary sand open stockpile – completed 30 December 2019
- enclosure of the primary dump chute – completed 31 March 2020.
Further works required over the next 6–18 months include:
- enclosure of the tertiary sand open stockpile.
As part of the dust management plan the EPA requires ongoing and effective engagement with the community. Southern Quarries has previously hosted annual community quarry tours and committed to host others in the future.
Dust management plan, February 2022
Community updates
Air monitoring report
Air was monitored from January 2016 to February 2017, to enable the EPA to carefully examine particulate matter in conjunction with wind speed, direction measurements, and other available information to understand sources of dust in the area.
