The environmental assessment for the deepening, reclamation and offshore placement of dredged material was set by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). This required rigorous analysis of any potential impacts.
The environmental factors that were considered included:
In assessing the environmental factors, Fremantle Ports undertook:
Results and information about environmental monitoring of the Inner Harbour deepening project:
A copy of the second Compliance Assessment Report for the Inner Harbour deepening project has been submitted to the Office of the EPA and can be downloaded in sections below. This report addresses Phase 2 dredging activities undertaken in the period 18 August 2010 to 17 August 2011, which included removal of rock from the Inner Harbour and the Deep Water Channel and placement of the rock into an offshore disposal area between August 2010 and October 2010 and minor backhoe works carried out in the Inner Harbour berth pockets from 13 December 2010 to 7 January 2011 and again from 25 March 2011 to 12 April 2011. This Compliance Assessment Report (Phase 2 Works) also reports on the results from additional monitoring activities that are not specific requisites of Ministerial Statement 801.
The report was prepared by the independent monitoring consultant for the project, who found that all conditions of Ministerial Statement 801 have been met. In particular post-dredging habitat surveys found that some habitat was impacted by the project, however, at its completion that there was an overall net gain in coral, macroalgae and seagrass. A summary of the outcomes can be found in the Executive Summary. Fremantle Ports is continuing post-dredging monitoring and further outcomes will be reported in subsequent Compliance Assessment Reports.
Download the report (in sections for easy downloading):
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 1 Cover and Executive Summary
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 2 Introduction and Compliance Summary
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 3 Marine Water Quality and Sediment Control
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 4 Benthic Primary Producer Habitat
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 5 Comparison and References
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 6 Appx A Compliance Assessment Plan
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 7 Appx B Section45Cs
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 8 Appx C Water Quality Monitoring Program
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 9 Appx D Correspondence OEPA FP
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 10 Appx E Memo siltation 3_3_10
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 11 Appx F1 Seagrass Health Monitoring Report Post-Dredge Survey
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 12 Appx F2 Seagrass Health Monitoring Report Post-Dredge Survey Plates
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 13 Appx F3 Seagrass Health Monitoring Report Post-Dredge Survey Appx
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 14 Appx G Post-Dredging Coral Monitoring Report
- IHD CAR Phase 2 Works 15 Appx H Offshore Survey