SOUTH ARM REMEDIATION Publication Date: 26-Aug-2005 NSW Minister...

SOUTH ARM REMEDIATION
Publication Date: 26-Aug-2005
NSW Minister for Ports and Waterways, Eric Roozendaal, has announced a key component of the NSW Governments Port Growth Strategy in giving the go ahead for the dredging, excavation, treatment, reuse and disposal of sediments from the South Arm of the Hunter River.
The remediation will allow the extension of the shipping channels within the Port of Newcastle to accommodate new investment such as the third coal loader.
It also will remove contaminated materials from the bed of the river and adjacent banks.
The dredging works will extend along the South Arm from the existing port area to Tourle Street Bridge at the western end of Kooragang Island.
Dredging will remove materials from the bed of the river and extend into adjacent banks to permit future construction of shipping berths, Mr Roozendaal said.
This is a key plank in the Governments Port growth Strategy and will support and encourage the establishment of industries and commercial markets in the region.It also will address the legacy of contamination as a result of previous industrial developments.The project will take place in two distinct stages. The first stage involves a remediation trial of no more than 1000 m3 using cement stabilisation.
I am advised by BHP Billiton that this will commence next month (September), Mr Roozendaal said.
The trial will be undertaken to allow BHP Billiton to determine the effectiveness of the cement stabilisation method (that's DMX) in the handling and remediation of contaminated materials.Results of the trial will be used to inform the decision-making process for the second stage which will include remediation of the remaining quantities of contaminated materials unsuitable for reuse or off-shore disposal.It is estimated that the total quantity of material dredged will be in the order of 13.6 million cubic metres. Of this:about 7.6 million cubic metres is clean and can be put to beneficial reuse most of the remaining material is proposed to be disposed off-shore in an area previously used for disposal of dredged materials about two percent of the dredged material is likely to be contaminated and require treatment before disposal to landfill