Whitsand Bay Report Published

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 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.

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.

Cefas Regulatory Team Manager, Stacey Faire, said: ‘Monitoring of the site has taken place for many years. The levels of contaminants in sediments and biota have not given rise for concern, but we have undertaken these additional investigations to assess the situation.’

Defra granted HM Naval Base Devonport a licence to dispose of 215,718 tonnes of material dredged from various sites associated with the Port of Plymouth. The licence was issued on 22 December 2004, based on advice from Cefas and after consulting English Nature and the Environment Agency.

Notes to editors

1. Cefas is an internationally renowned scientific research and advisory establishment, based at Lowestoft since 1902. It also has laboratories at Burnham-on-Crouch and Weymouth, and a number of other facilities around the UK. It became an executive agency of Defra in 1997.
2. Cefas undertakes work on fisheries management, environmental protection and aquaculture. It offers a wide range of research, advisory, consultancy, monitoring and training activities to government departments (UK and foreign, central and local), international agencies, commercial companies and aid organisations. For more detail see the Cefas website: www.cefas.co.uk.
3. A PDF of the Cefas report, Environmental impacts resulting from disposal of dredged material at the Rame Head disposal site, SW England, is published at www.cefas.co.uk/publications/miscellaneous-publications/environmental-impacts-at-rame-head.aspx. Cefas scientists have agreed to take part in a scientific, evidence-based review meeting with the main local interests to discuss the findings of their report. The date of this meeting is still to be fixed.
4. In total there are an estimated 150 ports in the UK of which 100 are commercially active. Dredging and the disposal of dredged material are vital to keep ports, harbours and marinas open. Each year some 25–50 million tonnes (wet weight) of dredged material are disposed of in UK waters.
5. The Rame Head disposal site is within Whitsand Bay, with the centre of the site approximately 3km to the west of Rame Head. It has been in use for the best part of 100 years. Early use of the site was for munitions disposal. Over the last 30 years it has received 6 million tonnes (wet weight) of dredge material. Most of this material originates from the ports, harbours, berths and navigation channels situated in and alongside the Rivers Tamar and Plymouth, as well as Plymouth Sound.
6. HM Naval Base Devonport’s current licence is valid for a period of three years. The licence includes conditions to ensure that sediment mobility during the disposal operation is minimised by restricting disposal to the southern side of the disposal site, and on the ebb and slack tides only.
7. Disposal of dredged material to sea is restricted through licence conditions, which stipulate that all reasonable precautions should be made to avoid disposal of man-made material to sea. Internationally, the OSPAR and London Conventions guide control. Nationally, control of disposal is exercised through the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 (FEPA). The assessment of the activity of dredging itself is controlled by a variety of national and local legislation.
8. Interviews with Cefas scientists will be limited telephone interviews. Arrangements can be made via the Cefas press office.

Press contact:
Anne McClarnon: 01502 524370 / a.mcclarnon@cefas.co.uk