Managing Environmental Precautions
Managing Environmental Precautions
Within a coastal dredging project, we strive to manage the project in a way that looks out for the marine life in the direct and surrounding areas. When Coastal Engineering Services (CES) takes on a new project, meticulous analysis is key. This is important to implement the correct precautions for the integrity of the project. There are a few ways we effectively manage environmental habitat concerns. We analyze things like; what equipment should be used, where to displace materials, and the extraction site’s proximity to pre-existing marine habitats. We engineer our projects to avoid disturbance during incubation season and colliding with pre-existing habitats. We avoid disturbances to marine life by mitigating sediment plumes, limiting operation hours, and analyzing noise disturbance.
Sediment plumes are a frequent concern that we manage while on a canal or erosion project. These plums occur when we extract sediment from under the water allowing for the loose particles to “ripple” further than the direct point of extraction. Suspended sediments are naturally occurring during storms and other natural disturbances; we strive to mirror these naturally occurring rhythms. As we manage projects, we extract in cycles allowing for suspended sediments to dissipate, allowing the marine life to detect a normal flow in between extractions.
We mirror these rhythms through Best Management Practice (BMP) to limit working hours to daylight hours only, and sometimes this is even a requirement for the project. Sediment disturbance is naturally occurring and marine life adapts when it occurs. These habitats are used to some loose sediments and frequent noise but not at certain decibels for months on end. It is crucial to allow these breaks in the dredging schedule to allow the cycle of sediment to rise and dissipate. This rest period revitalizes the habitat cycle. Another form of mitigation we employ is limiting working hours to the daytime only. Limiting dredging operation hours allows the sediment and noise to dissipate for a time. This allows for the surrounding habitats to sense a natural rhythm.
Within these cycles, CES also mitigates noise as it affects the natural habitats. Noise monitoring includes checking the decibel levels from the noise source which are the dredge or tug boats that are performing in the water. We check the decibel levels and the acceptable range of the mufflers and other noise-controlled enclosures that are prone to increase the project’s noise impact. Because of thorough BMP, our extraction site is cautious with noise, timing, and sediment plumes, allowing a natural cycle of plumes and the surrounding environment for marine life.