Environmental monitoring of the dredging and relocation operations in the coastal harbours in Belgium: MOBAG 2000

摘要

The MOBAG 2000 project-a monitoring project for the maintenance dredging operations in the Belgian coastal harbours and waterways- aims at the execution of an environmental (ecological) evaluation of the dredging and relocation operations, taking into account the Best-Environmental Practice philosophy as mentioned in the OSPAR directives of 1992. The campaigns conducted within the period from 1995 until 2000 can be classified in three main categories: 1. The physical impact on the environment has been evaluated by considering the turbidity increase generated during dredging and dumping operations for different dredging techniques. Different stationary and mobile measuring techniques were used during the monitoring campaigns. The impact of hydrographic and meteorologic factors on the sedimentation rate in the harbour was examined. 2. Evaluation of the mobility of heavy metals and the possible change in mobility of micro-pollutants during all phases of the dredging process allowed to determine the chemical impact on the environment. 3. A battery of ecotoxicological tests was conducted to evaluate the biological aspect.