More than one million tons of sludge are to be dumped close to the Great Barrier Reef after authorities in Australia approved plans to discard industrial dredge spoil.
Sediment scooped up from the sea floor during maintenance work at nearby Hay Point Port will be ditched under a permit granted by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).
“Dumping dredged sludge into world heritage waters treats our reef like a rubbish tip,” said Larissa Waters, a senator for The Greens party.
Although sludge dumping in the area is largely illegal, a loophole in the ban – it does not cover the discarding of waste created during port maintenance work – means the new permit can be granted.
Dirty water threatens the Great Barrier Reef
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Dirty water threatens the Great Barrier Reef
1/20
Months after scientists warned that it is at greater risk than ever, the Great Barrier Reef is facing a new challenge: dirty water.
AFP/Getty
2/20
Run-off from the recent floods in Australia is spreading out from the coast with the potential to smother the fragile reef.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
3/20
The floodwater is thick with sediment from the shore and scientists fear that this may block out the sun, preventing photosynthesis for the algae that the coral relies on to survive.
AFP/Getty
4/20
Dr Frederieke Koon from the Australian Institute of Marine Science however, has told the BBC that the floodwater contains nutrients that have boosted algae growth in some areas, turning the water "a thick blanket of green".
Matt Curnock / Reuters
5/20
Despite such benefits in some areas, the fear is that the floodwater will contain pesticides that could prove extremely damaging and due to a lack of wind, it isn't dispersing.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
6/20
Dr Koon added that "a bit of wind and wave action can break the plumes up quite quickly, but we have literally had no wind so they're just sitting there hanging".
Matt Curnock / Reuters
7/20
Fears over the future of the reef have been building in recent years, with the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting in October 2018 that the entire 130,000 miles square system is at high risk of bleaching.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
8/20
These aerial photos show the murky water spreading across the reef.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
9/20
AFP/Getty
10/20
Reuters
11/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
12/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
13/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
14/20
AFP/Getty
15/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
16/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
17/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
18/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
19/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
20/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
1/20
Months after scientists warned that it is at greater risk than ever, the Great Barrier Reef is facing a new challenge: dirty water.
AFP/Getty
2/20
Run-off from the recent floods in Australia is spreading out from the coast with the potential to smother the fragile reef.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
3/20
The floodwater is thick with sediment from the shore and scientists fear that this may block out the sun, preventing photosynthesis for the algae that the coral relies on to survive.
AFP/Getty
4/20
Dr Frederieke Koon from the Australian Institute of Marine Science however, has told the BBC that the floodwater contains nutrients that have boosted algae growth in some areas, turning the water "a thick blanket of green".
Matt Curnock / Reuters
5/20
Despite such benefits in some areas, the fear is that the floodwater will contain pesticides that could prove extremely damaging and due to a lack of wind, it isn't dispersing.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
6/20
Dr Koon added that "a bit of wind and wave action can break the plumes up quite quickly, but we have literally had no wind so they're just sitting there hanging".
Matt Curnock / Reuters
7/20
Fears over the future of the reef have been building in recent years, with the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting in October 2018 that the entire 130,000 miles square system is at high risk of bleaching.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
8/20
These aerial photos show the murky water spreading across the reef.
Matt Curnock / Reuters
9/20
AFP/Getty
10/20
Reuters
11/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
12/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
13/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
14/20
AFP/Getty
15/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
16/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
17/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
18/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
19/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
20/20
Matt Curnock / Reuters
“Government policy needs to change to ban all offshore dumping, so GBRMPA is not allowed to permit the reef’s waters to be used as a cheaper alternative to treating the sludge and disposing of it safely onshore,” Ms Waters told The Guardian.
But North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation, which runs Hay Point, said such action caused little environmental damage.
“Just like roads, shipping channels require maintenance to keep ports operating effectively,” the corporation said in a statement posted online. “Maintenance dredging involves relocating sediment which travels along the coast and accumulates over the years where our shipping operation occurs.
Under threat: the world's reef-building corals. Figures from statista.com
“Importantly, our assessment reports have found the risks to protected areas including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and sensitive habitats are predominantly low with some temporary short-term impacts to [some bottom-dwelling] habitat possible.
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“The permits allow for the long-term sustainable management of maintenance dredging and will safeguard the efficient operations of one of Australia’s most critical trading ports.”
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