Projects

Peel Business Park, Nambeelup

RPS has provided a range of water, soil and environmental services to support the development of Peel Business Park in Nambeelup, Western Australia.

Challenge

Peel Business Park is a new industrial estate being developed in the Peel region of WA. Providing environmental support since 2011, our team has helped DevelopmentWA to understand, mitigate and manage potential environmental impacts while successfully navigating approval pathways.

Key challenges for Peel Business Park have included the negotiation of an adequate buffer between local wetlands and developable areas, the facilitation of agreement with Local Governments on the positioning of services infrastructure, and the management of site-specific issues such as acid sulfate soils, and groundwater drainage.

Solution

In the project’s early phases, our specialists completed an initial flora and vegetation assessments for the site and potential black cockatoo breeding tree assessment. These studies informed the preparation of Environmental Impact Assessments for the Peel Region Scheme and the Shire of Murray’s Town Planning Scheme amendment referrals to the Environmental Protection Authority.

RPS has taken a lead role in the management of acid sulfate soils on the site, preparing a baseline contamination assessment for the Park’s renewable energy industrial microgrid lot, and providing strategic land use assembly advice to assist with ongoing development.

RPS at work at Peel Business Park

Earthworks and RPS ute at Peel Business Park

Peel Business Park has also required new trunk services infrastructure (sewer, power, gas, telecommunications and water) to support future industrial development. To facilitate the provision of this infrastructure our team:

Undertook reconnaissance level flora and vegetation surveys of the proposed infrastructure alignment and prepared clearing permit applications to facilitate the installation of the key services.
Undertook stakeholder consultation with the City of Mandurah, Shire of Murray and Main Roads Western Australia to facilitate landowner agreement and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s (DWER) approval of the clearing permits.

Water innovation for Nambeelup

RPS was engaged by DWER in 2019-2020 to develop an engineering concept design and a commercial and economic feasibility assessment for the Nambeelup Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project, which is part of the Peel Integrated Water Initiative.

MAR schemes capture subsoil drainage and directly inject water back into the groundwater aquifers beneath the ground (Cattamarra Aquifer beneath the Peel Business Park site). RPS liaised with DevelopmentWA and other key stakeholders for the project which also included DWER, Peel Development Commission, Shire of Murray and Water Corporation.

Our assessment is informing Government and industry stakeholders on the commercial operability, economic feasibility, cost and benefits of a MAR scheme at Nambeelup.