Amazing what these hi-tech dredges can accomplish with off-shore sand pumping, channel deepening and coastal protection. But at what price?
Excavated sand, gravel from so-called borrow areas is used to build man-made dunes and widen beaches. But other, sometimes harmful stuff…like bacteria & other contamination…or worse….can be pulled up by the giant vacuums. Dredging can also harm fragile underwater eco-systems, fishing habitat and other marine life essentials.
On rare occasion….. old World War 1 & 2 ammunition can still be sucked up and thrown onto our beaches.
Sometimes, dredging can reveal un-exploded military ordinance. That’s why filters / baskets are attached to the ends of each dredge pumping pipe.
WATCH VIDEO > Do you know the 3 R’s? Recognize. Retreat. Report.
The impact of offshore dredging. Government policy and plans for dealing with coastal erosion and the long term impact on marine life and local people.
Aggregate extraction.
http://reef.panda.org/