Fremantle Port Inner Harbour and Channel ... - Fremantle Ports

this Project (SKM 2008) and Fremantle Ports ongoing operational Marine Quality
Monitoring Plan – Oceanica, 2009).
Location
• Five sites surrounding the Inner Harbour Channel dredging and reclamation area, as
detailed in Section 3.6, Figure 3.1 and Figure 3.2 (plus one additional ‘post-dredge’
site within the boundary of the temporary MEPA for sampling after the conclusion of
reclamation water discharge).
Method
• Collect triplicate sediment samples from each site, every month.
• Store chilled and immediately send samples to a NATA-accredited laboratory for
analyses of the concentration of toxicant analytes listed in Table 4.7 (metals,
organotins, OC pesticides, PAH, PCBs).
• Toxicant concentration data shall be processed (within 5 days from collection of
samples) and compared against moderate and high protection triggers as applicable
and where available and listed in Table 4.7, to determine the appropriate
management response as listed below.
Contingency Management Measures
• Where a toxicant analyte is determined to be above the trigger level, then:
o the CEO of the Office of the EPA will be informed of the exceedance and
proposed management strategies (see below) as soon as practicable and no
later than within 72 hours of detection of the exceedance (i.e. subsequent to
processing of toxicant data);
o if applicable, any management actions already implemented within 72 hours
shall also be reported; and
o all management strategies will be implemented as soon as practicable.
• The exceedance will also be noted in fortnightly reporting (by the Environmental
Monitoring Contractor) to Fremantle Ports and the Office of the EPA;
• If sediment quality is deemed to be an ongoing environmental risk, the following
hierarchy of management measures shall be implemented as soon as is practicable:
o Where relevant to each particular analyte for which an exceedance has
occurred, conduct further testing of sediment samples may be conducted to
ascertain the ‘bioavailable’ fraction or potential ecotoxicity of the analyte, for
comparison with relevant guidelines as per ANZECC/ARMCANZ (2000), EPA
(2005) and/or appropriate alternate guidance.
o The cause of any exceedance shall be investigated, potentially including
sediment quality monitoring for toxicants at additional sites.
o Additional protection barriers shall be implemented, e.g. additional silt curtains,
raising of weir box to reduce flow volume of return water.
o Return water discharge shall cease and/or dredging relocated until the Office of
the EPA is satisfied that the risk to the environment from toxicants in sediment,
as sourced from dredging works, is acceptable.
30 Oceanica: Fremantle Ports: Inner Harbour and Channel Deepening - Water Quality Monitoring Program