Dredging angst across the way!

‘I find it interesting that environmentalists and campaigners are now agitated because dredged sediment will be dumped close to home and yet no one seems to have become exercised when it was being dumped 16 miles offshore between Mann and the North of Ireland.’

It's not just in Mann that there is angst over dredging. The saga over the dumping of a couple of thousand tonnes of spoil from Peel (Isle of Man) Harbour is ongoing but now on the other side of the Irish Sea a similar controversy is raging. However whereas we take a cautious view over dumping spoil on fishing grounds some of our counterparts over the way have a more casual attitude!

Residents on both sides of Carlingford Lough 50 miles West of the Isle of Man are concerned at a plan to deposit some of the spoil from dredging from Warrenpoint Port in the Lough. What is perhaps unusual about this is that current dredging that keeps the sea lanes up the Lough clear has been deposited 16 miles off shore and about 34 miles from Pt Erin (Isle of Man).

Opponents cite many reasons in terms of their opposition to the plan and even cite the fact that the sediments could be contaminated with nuclear material. The latter is disputed. Warrenpoint Ports Director Clare Guinness says "We are not aware of any nuclear content anywhere in the lough”.

However the entire Irish Sea is polluted by radiation waste to a certain extent although the levels of pollution and the danger (if any) they pose to different areas is subject to debate. What there is no over dispute is that Carlingford Lough was regularly monitored for radiation during the days when pollution particularly of technetium 99 was spewing out from Sellafield. The Republic of Ireland via the old Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) had no less than four sampling points C1 to C4 from the entrance to the Lough up to just south of Narrow Water. Presumably the RPII were not undertaking this degree of effort just to ‘fill their day’!

I find it interesting that environmentalists are now agitated because dredged sediment will be dumped close to home and yet no one seems to have become exercised when it was being dumped 16 miles offshore between Mann and the North of Ireland in the area of the Irish sea gyre. Also incidentally being dumped in what is known as the West Irish Sea mud belt.

If there is toxicity in sediments from Warrenpoint harbour or approaches then perhaps we should be told. Thankfully with discharges from Sellafield much curtailed in recent years the main problem in relation to radioactive contaminants is via the remobilisation of sediments either naturally or via dredging.

In the meantime it's nice to note the Isle of Man government seems to pay greater regard to the potential for polluting the Western Irish Sea than the Port Authority at Warrenpoint and the N Ireland administration.

I suppose we should be pleased that they are not going to dump so much spoil further offshore and towards our coast - still it would be nice to know what exactly is/has been being dumped hitherto and if there is not a better and more environmentally sensitive way of dealing with the issue

Link here BBC NI:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-45748636

Image: Ports Director says they ‘are not aware of any nuclear content’ - what a relief!

Bernard Moffatt