Dredging for smaller projects like marinas or boat ramps can go ahead in most parts of the Reef coast. This is known as maintenance dredging and the spoil from this activity can still be dumped at sea within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.ĭredging for new port facilities is still allowed in four ‘priority ports’ (Townsville, Abbot Point, Mackay-Hay Point and Gladstone) and within the port area of Cairns. Once an area has been dredged, it is vulnerable to clogging up with sediments, so it needs to be regularly re-dredged. Instead, the dredge spoil must be disposed of onshore. In 2015 the Queensland Government responded to community pressure and banned the dumping of capital dredge spoil (ie from new industrial activity) in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Prior to 2015 all dredged material was dumped back into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Many of the areas that are dredged are feeding and breeding grounds for turtles, dugongs and other sensitive species.ĭredging can more than double the level of coral disease, in particular white syndrome which causes coral tissue to fall off. Fine sediments are thrown up into the water and can drift for over 100 kilometres, smothering coral, seagrass beds, and ruining water quality. The seafloor is dug up to make deeper channels for large ships.

Capital dredging for port expansions is a serious threat to the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. It is mainly undertaken to dig new shipping channels (capital dredging) or maintain the depth of a port and it’s shipping channels (maintenance dredging).ĭredging is undertaken in coastal Reef waters so that large coal, gas and other bulk carriers can access ports. The material is removed through digging, big scoops, or high-pressure suction. What is dredging – and what is the danger?ĭredging means excavating the sea floor, removing sediment and dumping it in other locations. Just one collision, one mistake, or one spill could result in an environmental catastrophe in one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Port expansion plans require dredging of the seafloor, and will lead to a sharp increase in ship traffic crossing through our Reef’s waters. Plans to expand several ports along the coastline will further damage our already vulnerable Reef. Our stunning Great Barrier Reef is one of the most vibrant ecosystems in the world, but it is incredibly sensitive to human pressures.

What does dredges mean in illness terms