April 6, 2005
Issue
- More than 40 million cubic metres of sand, silt from the sea bed of Port Phillip Bay and the Yarra River, and rock removal by intense "hydro-hammering" from the Rip.
- The Great Ship Channel through the Rip will be deepened by at least three metres to more than 17 metres deep.
- The South channel from Portsea to Hovell Pile Rosebud will be deepened by approximately 2.5 metres to around 16.5 metres' depth, removing a total of 20 million tonnes of sand and silt from the south of the bay.
- The north of the bay from Fawkner Beacon up into the Yarra River as far as the Bolte Bridge will have a further 10 million tonnes of sand, sludge and silt removed. Maintenance dredging to 2030 brings the total to 40 million tonnes of "spoil".
- Spoil will be dumped in huge new spoil dumping grounds within the bay. Over 10 million tonnes, including up to three million tonnes of contaminated spoil (some highly toxic) from the Yarra bed, will be dumped in a new 7.5km2 site off Mornington (the size of a Melbourne suburb) and in an extended existing spoil ground south of Brighton.
- There will be noise, lights and other disturbances in the area 24 hours per day for at least two years.
- There will be turbidity and sedimentation levels never before experienced in the bay.
- Essential services under the Yarra near the Westgate Bridge will be lowered so supersized ships can access the river as far as Bolte Bridge. The main trunk sewer from the eastern suburbs to Werribee sewerage farm crosses the Yarra bed in this locale, but will not be lowered. Some ships will have to be "tugged" over the main, only 80cm below — grounding or anchor strike could cause raw sewage to enter the Yarra River.
- The Footscray Markets and Footscray Road will be relocated, at a public cost of $300 million.
From Green Left Weekly, April 6, 2005.
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