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Coordination of Contaminated Sediment Strategy
01 Feb 2007
Port areas around the UK are being expanded to deal with ever increasing maritime trade. In order to maximise the economic advantages this presents, dredging of seabed sediments is being undertaken to provide safe operational navigable depths. The historical and contemporary industrial legacy has, however, created zones of contaminated sediments, which need to be managed.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) recently announced a new initiative to create a Strategy for Managing Contaminated Marine Sediments aimed towards providing a holistic, ecosystem based structure within which practical management of dredge contaminated sediment can be achieved.
Partrac has been appointed by DEFRA to help manage the project, with technical director Dr Kevin Black as project coordinator for the initiative.
Dr Black said, ‘We are delighted to have been chosen as the coordinators for this flagship project. We are a marine environmental consultancy specialising in sediment monitoring and management. However, it is those marine areas which are contaminated which form the practical application of our knowledge and skills, especially in ports, harbours and estuaries.
‘This is a substantial opportunity to apply Partrac’s expertise and we are looking forward to working with various contractors and DEFRA over the next three years to formulate a world class management framework strategy for the UK.’
Dr Black recently attended the 4th International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediment at Savannah, Georgia USA where the theme ‘Efficient Assessment, Effective Management and Successful Remediation’ was of great benefit to him in his new role.
By DAVID FOXWELL
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