Proponent: Southern Cross Agri Pty Ltd
Overview
Southern Cross Agri Pty Ltd is proposing to develop Stage 1 of an agricultural farm and associated farm infrastructure on Spirit Hills Station (parts of NT portions 1584 and 3221) in the Keep River area of the Northern Territory, adjacent to the Western Australian border.
The proposed action includes:
- clearing a minimum of 3,269 hectares of native vegetation within a development envelope of 4,525 hectares
- construction of water storage facilities (200 hectares footprint, 10 gigalitres capacity) to retain harvested stormwater (including irrigation tailwater) for on-farm irrigation
- development of supporting infrastructure, including water distribution and drainage networks, levee banks, river crossings, storage facilities and worker accommodation, to service farming operations
- rotational farming of annual crops
The proposed action is intended to operate over 100 years.
Potential future farm expansion, and/or surface water diversion from Lake Argyle (Western Australia) are not included in this proposed action.
The NT EPA invited public comment on the proponent initiated EIS referral submitted by the Southern Cross Agri Pty Ltd to develop Stage 1 of the Sweetwater Agricultural Development project.
For more information about the referral, go to the environmental impact assessment register for the Sweetwater Agricultural Development – Stage 1 project.