Toxic dredge down south!

On Tuesday 24th June, the Queen of the Netherlands ugly little sister the Cornelis Zanen (CoZa) was moving toxins from the Yarra to the dump site in the middle of the Bay. The next day it was cleaning itself down south.
 

 

Cornelis Zanen South channel 25 June 2008

On Wednesday 25th June CoZA was hard at work dredging between Rosebud and Rye, having been dredging toxins up north the day before. A distinct plume was visible throughout the South channel as it dredged. Apparently this is necessary to clean the sticky clay from its hopper. We aren't told what is done to ensure toxic material is not transferred in the process. We gather the answer is.....Nothing!

PoMC's Environment (Mis) Management Plan (EMP) states that vessels used in the channel deepening project arriving from outside the Bay must have their hulls inspected and cleaned. Not so apparently if moving between the toxic area in the North to the South of the Bay. And we wonder how much the cleaning of toxic mud from the CoZa has contributed to turbidity levels in the South? What a shame the PoMC’s turbidity buoys down south appear to be becoming unreliable, as reported by the Office of Environmental Monitor OEM today (26th June).   

All in all the PoMC's EMP is totally inadequate to protect the Bay. See Australian Conservation Foundation’s assessment of the EMP at: http://www.acfonline.org.au/uploads/res/HowgoodistheChannelDeepeningProjectEMP_FINAL.01.pdf

ACF's assessment of the EMP was undertaken by independent scientists - not scientists paid by the state government or the PoMC. Sadly, the supposedly independent Office of Environmental Monitor relies totally on the PoMC's EMP as the "Rule Book" for assessing PoMC's performance against PoMC's EMP.  Oh dear. That doesn’t make us want to trust the PoMC and Mr. Brumby to protect the Bay.

Mr. Brumby’s channel deepening project is not only outmoded (who knows what's going to happen to shipping as oil prices skyrocket?) but it is also poisoning our Bay....and what for?

Just so we can wait for a few really big ships that may NEVER come! 

 

 

 

 



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