cSAC Review Reports
Assessing the potential impacts of disposal of dredged material on candidate Special Areas of Conservation
Defra has a statutory responsibility under the Food and Environment Protection Act, 1985 (FEPA), to control all deposits of articles or substances in the sea. Under this Act they are responsible for undertaking assessments of possible impacts of disposal of dredged material on the marine environment. It has been agreed that Defra, as a competent authority, will review disposal operations at disposal sites that lie within or adjacent to designated marine candidate Special Areas of Conservation (cSACs), to comply with certain regulations of the UK's Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations, 1994.
In early 2000 the Environmental Management team at Cefas, Burnham Laboratory, was requested by MAFF (now Defra) to undertake an assessment of the impacts of licensed disposal operations occurring within cSACs around the coast of England and Wales. As a result of discussions, ten sites were selected to be reviewed. The main objective of this Defra funded project, was to assess the potential adverse impacts of disposal of dredged material at the disposal sites located within or adjacent to the selected European marine cSACs.
In April 2000 prior to the commencement of this project, Cefas commissioned the Ports and Estuaries Group of HR Wallingford to undertake an assessment of potential for physical impacts of disposal at sites within or near the cSACs. This document was used as a starting block from which a series of reviews was produced.
Reviews included in the Cefas cSAC Review Series
