Site Selection
HISTORY
Based on the 2022 Landfill Closure Plan, it has been estimated that the Buckleys Road Waste Management Facility has approximately three years of operating space within the current pyramid. Additional landfill space is gained by the relocation of existing recycling operations to the RRRP.
The Shire began exploring potential sites within a 60km radius of Broome over a decade ago. The Broome area has high social, heritage, native title and environmental values. We also have a limited road network and land availability. All of this meant that there were limited options available.
During the initial site selection works, the Shire consulted with a range of stakeholders including the Broome Community, Nyamba Buru Yawuru and various Government departments. This helped establish the Site Selection Criteria to govern the entire siting process.
These criteria are consistent with EPA Victoria’s best practice landfill standards and cover all relevant factors including environmental, social and infrastructure aspects.
Early investigation even explored the option of transporting waste to either Port Hedland or Karratha’s landfill facilities. Both options were determined as unsuitable long-term solutions for Broome, due to the excessive distances and associated haulage costs.
In 2015, Site D1, located just north of the junction of McGuigan and Cape Leveque Roads was identified as a potential location for the RRRP. Concerns were raised by local residents about the potential impact on the surrounding groundwater. At the time, the Shire had not conducted sufficient onsite investigations and analysis to be sure of the viability of Site D1 and as such, it was ruled out as an option.
This experience illustrated the need for the Shire to be more thorough with its investigations and gather the relevant data to facilitate an informed decision-making process.
The Shire, with the support of technical experts, has conducted detailed site investigations and after investigating a variety of possible sites, has narrowed selection down to two remaining sites for the landfill element of the RRRP - Site D2 and Site G1.
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Site D2 - located 12km northeast of Broome’s town centre along Cape Leveque Road. The site is 5.5km northeast of the Buckleys Road Waste Management Facility.
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Site G1 - located 38km northeast of Broome’s town centre along Great Northern Highway. The site is 31km east of the Buckleys Road Waste Management Facility.
An independent third-party review was completed to confirm the technical elements and recommendations and conclusions of the investigations conducted.
Further details of these investigations can be found on the Resources page.
Click to Enlarge – This map shows the Initial Areas of Interest for the RRRP site location (yellow borders) and the constraints around social, heritage, native title and environmental factors. Source: Talis Consultants.
DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS
The development of the RRRP also considered wether a single integrated waste facility should be created or a netowrk of waste infrastructure across multiple sites. Two options were considered as shown in the diagram below, with Option 1 ultimately be selected.
It is proposed that the CRC element of the RRRP will be located at Site D2 for a variety of reasons including its proximity to the town centre, for easy access to the community, and its supportive site attributes.
Extensive site investigations have been conducted to gauge the suitability and points of difference of each site to accommodate the landfill facility. These investigations include:
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Heritage
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Flora and fauna
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Hydrogeological (groundwater)
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Geotechnical (soils)
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Hydrological (flood) modelling
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Financial assessment
It is important to note that invaluable consultation with Nyamba Buru Yawuru was also part of this process.
The findings from these works are detailed in the various site investigation reports and summarised in the Site Comparison Report. The report outlines and compares the environmental and social attributes of each site, as well as the financial cost of each development option.
The Site Comparison Report and all associated reports can be found under the Resources tab.