Lancelin Operations
Aglime has been undertaking limesand mining at approved locations in the Lancelin area for approximately 40 years. The company current holds three tenements (within the area outlined in black on the map) and has been operating only on the very southern end of these for several decades (the area in red in map below).
State Government approval is in place to extract limesand from an area to the north of where we are currently operating (the area in green). We estimate that mining in this area will operate for at least 25 years, which is up to approximately mid-century, with no activity occurring in the Lancelin Offroad Vehicle Area (LORVA) during that time.
Limesand is vital to the health of Western Australia’s grain industry and is needed by farmers throughout the wheatbelt to maintain and improve the quality of their soils. Virtually all limesand mined from Lancelin is used to improve crop yields in this state.
Key Facts
1. Our current extraction rates are 200,000 – 400,000 tonnes per annum.
2. We are operating with State Government approvals and complying with our required environmental and mining practices.
3. We do not extract sand from the Water Corp’s Wellhead Area or negatively impact on the Water Reserve.
4. Less than 9% of the original sand dune area has been mined since the 1980s.
5. Virtually all limesand mined from Lancelin is used to improve crop yields in this state.
6. Most limesand activity occurs during a 10 to 12 week period in February and April, between harvesting and seeding.
7. Vehicles associated with Aglime operations do not travel through Lancelin with the entrance to our tenements being to the south of the town.
8. The designated LORVA within our tenements covers only part of the dune system; the northern dune area is also used for off-road and recreation and is on privately owned land.
9. Aglime is not connected to the small limesand operation and ramp next to the LORVA.
10. Aglime is not connected to an application for another mining lease within the Lancelin town site and Water Reserve.
Why Limesand is Important to WA
Limesand is of strategic importance to all agricultural activities in Western Australia and therefore a vital part of the State’s economy and food production. The limesand at Lancelin is high-quality and its location with access to east-west road infrastructure ensures that a significant proportion of farmers in the WA wheatbelt have good and economically viable access to this important input into their farming operations.
Our farmers use limesand to reduce acidity in order to maintain their crop and pasture yields. Lancelin’s limesand is the right quality for WA farmers to produce the yields required to ensure they can export significant quantities of grain to the world and to provide a good future for our rural communities. Aglime is the leading limesand company and we follow all approvals and operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. We contribute to the local economy through jobs, royalties, lease fees, shire rates, and community sponsorships.
We believe that tourism, recreation and sand mining can continue to co-exist in the Lancelin area as they have successfully done so for more than 30 years. However, ceasing to produce an essential farm input is not a realistic option for WA farmers who need healthy soils in order to produce healthy crops.