Zandwolk bedreigt koraal bij havenproject Saba, maatregelen ingezet
Bij de aanleg van de nieuwe haven bij Saba is een zandwolk ontstaan die het kwetsbare koraalrif bedreigt. De overheid grijpt in: werkzaamheden zijn stilgelegd en er komen extra filters en schermen om verdere schade te voorkomen.
| Onderwerp | Details |
|---|---|
| Locatie | Black Rocks Harbor, Saba |
| Oorzaak troebelheid | Uitbaggeren van zeebodemmateriaal (fijne slibdeeltjes) |
| Impact | Mogelijke schade aan koraalriffen |
| Maatregelen | Werkzaamheden stilgelegd, filters op land, silt- en bellenschermen |
| Aantal verplaatste koralen | 1.000+ |
| Beschermde gebieden | Meerdere mariene zones rond Saba met hogere beschermingsstatus |
| Compensatiemaatregel | Aanleg kunstmatig rif |
De Public Entity Saba (PES) is verantwoordelijk voor het beheer en de ontwikkeling van infrastructuur op het eiland, waaronder havenprojecten. Zij ziet toe op naleving van milieuregels en bescherming van het unieke mariene ecosysteem rond Saba.
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externe link naar whydonate.comLees hieronder het originele artikel
Turbidity levels being monitored at Black Rocks Harbor Project
As a result of the Black Rocks Harbor project, turbidity in the area was noticed last week.
PES notes that this is a serious concern for the precious marine environment around Saba, and wishes to inform the community on the cause of the turbidity, which has been analyzed, and on the immediate action that was taken.
Excavation for the project is currently ongoing, where natural seabed materials (boulders, rock, sand and fines) are being dredged. This dredged material is being re-used to construct the inner core of the breakwater and to create temporary bunds needed for the dredging of the basin. As such seabed fines were disposed back into the water. These very fine silty particles were taken along by longshore current all the way to the western side of the island, visible as a plume.
As this could negatively impact the health of corals, the contractor was contacted and stopped these activities. The method of excavation has meanwhile been amended and fine particles are now filtered out on land to avoid that these seabed fines get suspended in the seawater. Further mitigations as a silt- or bubble screen are being studied and will be implemented where necessary.
The harbour project will continue to monitor turbidity levels in the seawater. If levels are over critical values, turbidity causing works will be stopped and methodology further amended.
Protection of the marine environment has been at the forefront of this project. Last year over 1,000 directly impacted corals have successfully been relocated to an outplant location to the east of the project site. Several marine areas around Saba received a higher protection status, and there are also plans to create an artificial reef as compensation measure.