EPA confirms successful FPH seagrass management during dredging
The Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that there has been ‘no adverse impact to the seagrass’ as a result of Flinders Ports’ dredging of Outer Harbor to widen the channel in 2019.
Environmental stewardship is fundamental to our operating approach and we are proud of the recent achievements at Outer Harbor. Widening the channel was commercially vital to the economic success of our state and, working with the EPA, we were able to deliver this crucial project while also protecting the established marine environment.
Through an innovative and dynamic turbidity monitoring program, our Channel Widening Project Team were able to constantly monitor for any risk to the local seagrass, pause or stop dredging if adverse conditions were flagged, and keep all relevant stakeholders up to date.
The project was a collective effort involving marine scientists, evidence based regulators and engagement staff from the EPA, dredging contractor Boskalis, and key senior personnel from Flinders Ports. The team involved were recently nominated for a SA Science and Excellence Award in acknowledgment of their work, and we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them for their achievements in managing a hugely complex project.
Speaking about the EPA confirmation, Flinders Port Holdings CEO, Stewart Lammin said:
“Earlier this year we published our first group-wide sustainability plan, mapping out how we as a business will continue to act responsibly and with respect for the marine and land environments we operate in. Our seagrass management project, which ran alongside the Outer Harbor Channel Widening, is proof that our approach is working and I’m proud of the team’s achievements.”
The monitoring program itself will continue as part of wider efforts to ensure that the channel is maintained sustainably.
To learn more about Flinders Port Holdings’ sustainability vision click here.
To read the EPA Seagrass Assessment click here
To read the EPA Seagrass Condition Assessment click here
