If you have difficulties viewing PDF files please make sure you are using the latest version of the Adobe Reader.
This report is available as a PDF file. Version 5 or later of the Acrobat Reader is needed to view this file.
News Release 5/05, 26 May 2005: Whitsand Bay Report is Published.
Poster: Assessment of biological communities at Rame Head (PDF, 1.76 MB)
Poster: Assessment of levels of trace metal contaminants in sediments at Rame Head (PDF, 1.49 MB)
Poster: Physical factors at the Rame Head disposal site – anthropogenic aspects (PDF, 6.47 MB)
Poster: Natural physical factors in the Whitsand Bay area (PDF, 3.83 MB)
Poster: Disposal site management: assessment and monitoring (PDF, 1.48 MB)
Environmental impacts resulting from disposal of dredged material at the Rame Head disposal site, S.W. England
A long-awaited report into the disposal of dredged material at the Rame Head disposal site, within Whitsand Bay near Plymouth, is published today (26 May 2005). The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) commissioned its marine scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to investigate the disposal site, following local concern about licensed disposal practice.
The report considers the environmental impacts of the disposal of dredged material at the site and concludes that this procedure is environmentally acceptable, subject to licence conditions and oversight of activities.
Evidence from monitoring surveys indicates that physical, chemical and biological impacts are localised within, and close to, the boundaries of the disposal site. There is no evidence of long-term accumulation of dredged material either within the disposal site or in the adjacent marine environment.
Telephone interviews with Cefas scientists can be arranged via the Cefas Press Office. Contact Anne McClarnon on 01502 524370.
Meeting 22 July 2005
Cefas scientists took part in a review meeting with the main local interests to discuss the findings of their report. This meeting took place on 22 July 2005 at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth. A summary of the meeting is available as a PDF document.
Responses to the report
In addition, Cefas scientists have provided written responses to the notes by Bruce Selkirk and Professor Pingree:
- Response to “Whitsand Bay and the Cefas report – some areas of serious concern” (prepared by Bruce Selkirk, July 2005),
- Response to "Scientific appraisal of conditions found at Rame Head and Whitsand Bay" (prepared by Professor Pingree, August 2005).
Presentations at Millbrook Village Hall (1 March 2006)
A public meeting to discuss the disposal activities in Whitsand Bay was held in Millbrook Village Hall on 1 March 2006. The following presentations were given: