The EPA's Role

As South Australia’s independent environment protection regulator, the EPA is focused on ensuring mitigation measures and controls are in place throughout the dredge trial to prevent and/or minimise environmental harm. The EPA will regulate the trial through an authorisation in the form of a licence (EPA Licence #42842) with MC Dredging and Port Development Pty Ltd, which has been contracted by DEW to undertake the dredging works.

The licence stipulates that MC Dredging and Port Development must prepare a Dredge Management Plan (DMP) detailing proposed measures to minimise adverse impacts from the dredging. The DMP for the trial also requires a water quality monitoring plan, a seagrass monitoring plan, and a noise management plan. The DMP includes turbidity triggers to protect water quality and seagrass. Turbidity will be continuously monitored at six sites to ensure that turbidity remains similar to background levels recorded before the trial. Maintaining pre-trial water quality is an important indicator that dredging is being undertaken in a manner that will not cause harm, particularly to seagrass.

The EPA assessed the DMP against the EPA Dredge Guideline 2020, and has provided its approval of the DMP and dredge trial.

The EPA will monitor compliance with the DMP during dredging works and has required that seagrass monitoring is undertaken by suitably qualified experts before and after the trial. The monitoring is important to understand any impact on seagrass and will inform mitigation requirements for any future dredging activities along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline.