Peel Marina

[Speak The Truth]

 

https://www.gov.im/media/1354652/web-advert-dredging-and-disposal.pdf

 

Our glorious leaders are currently advertising for a new contractor to undertake the dredging of Peel Marina.

 

During previous dredging there have been concerns regarding the materials removed and the toxic content of those materials.

There is no mention of the materials being dredged this time possibly being contaminated despite the governments continued pumping of toxic fluids into the river just above the marina (see picture).

These fluids are drawn from the run off from the Raggatt waste site that was running until the early 1990's.

There were no restrictions on what was dumped and things like engine oil, old engines, asbestos, and all and any other thing people wanted to dump was accepted.

You were advised to put any 'dodgy' stuff inside something else but that was about it.

 

Despite this they continue to dump fluids from this site into the River Neb just above the marina, and then wonder how the marina silt is still contaminated despite numerous dredging operations.

 

[finlo]

IMG_0947.jpg

 

https://www.gov.im/media/1354652/web-advert-dredging-and-disposal.pdf

 

Our glorious leaders are currently advertising for a new contractor to undertake the dredging of Peel Marina.

 

During previous dredging there have been concerns regarding the materials removed and the toxic content of those materials.

There is no mention of the materials being dredged this time possibly being contaminated despite the governments continued pumping of toxic fluids into the river just above the marina (see picture).

These fluids are drawn from the run off from the Raggatt waste site that was running until the early 1990's.

There were no restrictions on what was dumped and things like engine oil, old engines, asbestos, and all and any other thing people wanted to dump was accepted.

You were advised to put any 'dodgy' stuff inside something else but that was about it.

 

Despite this they continue to dump fluids from this site into the River Neb just above the marina, and then wonder how the marina silt is still contaminated despite numerous dredging operations.

 

 

 

I have to agree, they have been dumping this shite into the harbour for many years.

[The Bastard]

The main concern with the silt is nothing to do with the Raggatt. It's the heavy metal content (zinc, lead, copper and cadmium) from the mine workings and spoil heaps which can be taken up by biological activity into the ecosystem. The 1983 report by Southgate, Slinn and Eastham identifies the silt in Peel lower estuary has having the highest content of zinc, lead and copper of any of the five estuarine harbours, with only Laxey (also associated with mining) having a higher level of cadmium. This is reflected in the highest levels of those three pollutants in mussels collected from Peel estuary.In Allen's 1993 study, mussels from Whitestrand had the highest levels of lead from any of the Irish Sea locations surveyed.

[Speak The Truth]

Thanks for the info.

So has there been testing done on what they are now pumping into the river and if so, bearing in mind how often they do this and the nature of the things buried at the Raggatt, is testing carried out on each tankful before pumping it into the river?

 

Another question that springs to mind, given your information, is, when the harbour was initially dredged and the silt that had been lying there for years uncounted was taken away, why was there no problem with them dumping this at sea and yet the world was going to implode a couple of years ago when they were removing silt that had only built up over a very short time?

 

Also, bearing in mind the barrier in place that prevents the silt being washed out to sea as it did for centuries, has there been any more recent measuring of the toxins that were so prevalent before and if so what were the findings?

Obviously these would have to be independent findings for anyone to believe them.

[The Bastard]

There's a world of difference between the gradual leaching of silt containing heavy metals from a river mouth by natural hydrology, and the mechanised collection of many tonnes of silt and dumping it all into the sea simultaneously at one point. I believe expert advice was taken, and it was assessed that large-sale dumping would damage the ecosystem and potentially result in a public health issue if crabs, lobsters and scallops were contaminated.

 

From : https://www.gov.im/news/2015/apr/15/poortown-site-is-best-solution-for-temporary-storage-of-marina-silt/

 

"Once land-based disposal of the silt was identified as the only practical solution, officers from DoI and DEFA assessed a wide range of potential disposal locations. The Wrights Pit North landfill site at the Point of Ayre, the disused quarry on Peel hillside overlooking Fenella Beach, former mines and mining spoil sites and two privately operated facilities were all ruled out because of issues such as land ownership, legislative restrictions, or environmental considerations. Similarly, supplying the sediment to a smelting facility and reclaiming the heavy metals or filling large textile tubes with silt to protect against coastal erosion were discussed but not considered viable options."

[woolley]

Lots of heavy metal pollution in the sea out west.

[Speak The Truth]

There's a world of difference between the gradual leaching of silt containing heavy metals from a river mouth by natural hydrology, and the mechanised collection of many tonnes of silt and dumping it all into the sea simultaneously at one point. I believe expert advice was taken, and it was assessed that large-sale dumping would damage the ecosystem and potentially result in a public health issue if crabs, lobsters and scallops were contaminated.

 

From : https://www.gov.im/news/2015/apr/15/poortown-site-is-best-solution-for-temporary-storage-of-marina-silt/

 

"Once land-based disposal of the silt was identified as the only practical solution, officers from DoI and DEFA assessed a wide range of potential disposal locations. The Wrights Pit North landfill site at the Point of Ayre, the disused quarry on Peel hillside overlooking Fenella Beach, former mines and mining spoil sites and two privately operated facilities were all ruled out because of issues such as land ownership, legislative restrictions, or environmental considerations. Similarly, supplying the sediment to a smelting facility and reclaiming the heavy metals or filling large textile tubes with silt to protect against coastal erosion were discussed but not considered viable options."

So why dump it all in one area?

Surely a staged dredge with the silt dumped over a large area would solve the problem.

Yes it might be a bit more expensive to do it that way but the problem heavy metals are not a man made product but a naturally occurring material.

A staged dredge would have no more effect than the natural dispersal of these materials through river run off, in fact for the immediate area around the mouth of the Neb it would relieve pollution, ( except for the shite, tampons and condoms that come out of the non-broken sewer pipe that the gulls feed on at the end of the breakwater).

There is no evidence, that I can find, that proves beyond doubt that the pollutants are as the result of previous mining operations, by that I mean it can not be proven that they would not be leaching onto the water course in any event.

[The Bastard]

A staged dredge would be ridiculously expensive, for one thing. It's also unlikely that a few bucketloads of silt now and again would be enough to keep up with the deposition in the marina. It also doesn't solve the problem of dumping of significant quantities of heavy metals into the environment, rather than gradual leaching by rivers.

 

Nothing can be proved beyond doubt, not even your own existence, but Ockham's razor suggests that if you have hydrological leaching from spoil heaps and mine workings from former heavy metal mining, that they are pretty likely to be the cause of heavy metal pollution, particularly when you look at the Southgate (et al) study - the levels of heavy metals from rivers running through former heavy metal mining areas show significantly increased levels of heavy metals, as anyone would reasonably expect.

[Speak The Truth]

The Bastard

A staged dredge would be ridiculously expensive, for one thing.

 

Why?

A mini digger on a raft loading a small barge that can be towed out to sea, cost less than a diesel loco ornament.

 

It also doesn't solve the problem of dumping of significant quantities of heavy metals into the environment, rather than gradual leaching by rivers.

 

Waste dispersed over a large area, not dumped all together.

These heavy metals were going into the sea prior to the marina, the only difference now is that there is an opportunity to move them away from land and fisheries into an area where the sea can quickly disperse them over a much wider area far more quickly than they were before.

 

The main problem here is that there has been a lack of maintenance of the marina by not removing the silt as it built up.

If the money that was wasted on the pumps and pipes that sat on the harbour side and now no doubt lies rotting, hidden from public view to be forgotten, had been spent on a more basic solution there would not be an issue now.

 

This is yet another example where the lunatics are taking over the asylum.

There is not a person with maritime or harbours knowledge in charge of the harbours and marinas, instead there is an administrator who seems to be also woefully inadequate in her supposed area of expertise, the airport.

[gettafa]

But... but... didn't they have a Captain no less, in charge of ports and harbours when the scheme was built.

[TheTeapot]

The main problem is that the marina was built like this in the first place. A bunch of knowledgable local people pointed out the likely problems at the time but were ignored, and here is the predicted result.

 

Time and time again you see or hear of things being planned and work being carried out and you think 'nah, not going to work' but if you try to point it out to someone they have no interest in listening. Maybe its my attitude...

[notwell]

The Marina has and does work though in Peel.

 

It's been part of a nice regeneration of the harbour area. As with many big projects there can be a little downside but in the bigger picture it's more positive that negative.

[forestboy]

The main problem is that the marina was built like this in the first place. A bunch of knowledgable local people pointed out the likely problems at the time but were ignored, and here is the predicted result.

Time and time again you see or hear of things being planned and work being carried out and you think 'nah, not going to work' but if you try to point it out to someone they have no interest in listening. Maybe its my attitude...

E.g. IRIS

[Non-Believer]

Peel Marina has been a massive boost to Peel's economy and standing IMHO. The problems lie in DOI's (surprise surprise) failure to adhere to planned maintenance, as highlighted in the silt debacle inquiry.

[Speak The Truth]

Peel Marina has been a massive boost to Peel's economy and standing IMHO. The problems lie in DOI's (surprise surprise) failure to adhere to planned maintenance, as highlighted in the silt debacle inquiry.

Quite right.

The Captain who was Chief Harbour Master at the time both marinas were approved did not agree with the Peel plan that was completed, potential problems were pointed out but others knew better.