Penrice Quarry - clarification regarding operations and the draft Barossa WAP

In response to community queries received during the consultation period, the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, in conjunction with the Dept. for Energy and Mining and the Dept. for Environment and Water, with the support of Adelaide Brighton Ltd., would like to provide the following information:

Penrice Quarry is a limestone quarry operated by Adelaide Brighton Ltd. (AdBri), located approximately 2.5km north of Angaston township, South Australia.  The quarry is within the Barossa Prescribed Water Resources Area (PWRA). 

Penrice Quarry operates in accordance with Program MPEPR2023/020 and the quarry is licenced to extract take 121,800kL of groundwater for industrial use per year from two licences within the Barossa Prescribed Water Resources Area (PWRA).

The quarry is located to the east of the Barossa Valley floor Upper and Lower Aquifers and intersects the Fractured Rock Aquifer which extends throughout the eastern part of the PWRA. The quarry has previously been authorised to excavate to depths which intersect the water table within the Fractured Rock Aquifer, and groundwater currently collects in sumps within the quarry pit floor. Under the current 2009 Barossa Water Allocation Plan (WAP), the Fractured Rock Aquifer in question does not form part of a consumptive pool. Under the draft amended Barossa WAP that is currently out for consultation, the aquifer at the quarry location would be in the newly formed Eastern Fractured Rock Consumptive Pool but not be subject to any adaptive management interventions.

The Department for Environment and Water is currently working with AdBri, and the Northern and Yorke Landscape Board, to ensure they are appropriately authorised under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 for the extraction of surface water, which is pumped from the quarry pit and returned to the downstream watercourse (Jaeckeli Creek).

Penrice’s approved Program sets out the environmental regulatory framework required by the Mining Act 1971.  The Program limits the pit floor to a depth of 243m (Australian Height Datum).   Any change to operations from those approved by the Program such as increasing pit depth will trigger a change in operations process (Division 7 of the Mining Act 1971, Part 12 of the Mining Regulations 2020). Change to operations will necessitate referral to the Department for Environment and Water and at this stage, the Department will engage with Adbri on licensing requirements for any increased extraction of groundwater or surface water in alignment and consistent with the relevant version of the Barossa WAP at that time.