Montis Pit North

at a glance Approval: Shale extraction DA 2006/718 Location: Old Bagotville Road, Bagotville

Monti’s Pit North shale quarry is located at 14 Montis Road at the junction of Montis Road and Old Bagotville Road. 

The extractive industry was approved by Council on 22 February 2007 under DA 2006/718. The current approval DA 2006/718.2 authorises the extraction of shale on lots 1 & 2 DP 1192234 Old Bagotville Road, Bagotville. The limits of the approval identify the extraction of up to 50,000 m³ of clay shale annually for 20 years or until 700, 000 m³ has been extracted from the site - whichever occurs first. An application DA 2006/718 was lodged with Council on the 17 October 2018 to modify the existing stormwater management system due to the alignment and works on the Pacific Motorway. The application was subsequently approved by Council on the 13 February 2019. Montis Pit North is situated on gently undulating foothills and farming land to the west of the intersection of Montis Road, Old Bagotville Road and the Pacific Highway, Bagotville.  The quarry operates ancillary to the farming activities of grazing and sugar cane farming undertaken by the landholders and quarry owners. The quarry consists of three distinct pits - pits one and two lie to west of the highway and are separated from each other by a cane field. Pit three lies approximately 200 metres to the east of pit one and is separated from pit one by the Pacific Highway.   A watercourse in the form of a cane drain dissects stage one and stage two extraction areas which collects and sheds water to a sediment dam on lower lying lands to the north. Stage three to the east of the Pacific Highway also collects pit water and sheds to a sediment dam and then to the same unnamed water course which flows under the highway generally to the north of the three pits. The gravel resource which is extracted is chert which is useful as road construction material.

Environmental Constraints

In addition to complying with conditions of the approval, the site must implement and maintain a soil and water management plan, acid sulphate management plan and a revegetation, rehabilitation and weeds control plan. The above documents are contained within the Plan of Management. The operator must also submit an annual report and audit addressing the current extraction area, intended extraction area, areas rehabilitated, intended rehabilitated, location of stockpiles, location of overburden and annual survey. In addition, the report must provide a statement of compliance with each condition, problems or issues encountered, situational differences, details of materials extracted, estimate of resource available and details of complaints that have been recorded.

Rehabilitation Requirements                        

An area of 20,000 m²   on the far north-eastern section of the property has been set aside for compensatory habitat for the clearing of 5,300 m² of native vegetation to allow for the siting of the quarry. Condition 3.14 identifies that the extractive areas are to be rehabilitated and stabilised to ensure future productive use of the land. This is interpreted as returning the extractive areas to grazing land by topdressing with saved topsoil and adding mulch to return organic carbon to the topsoils if necessary.

Montis Pit North View looking South

Montis Pit NorthView looking Southeast

Montis Pit North 2022East of Highway Stage 3