Port Phillip - Regional News - Water - Jan 08

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31/01/08 Dredging: more heat on Brumby Royce Millar, Clay Lucas and Adam Morton, The Age Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

22/01/08 Dredging plan steams ahead, casting away public concern The Age, Editorial (Good Background ) Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

21/01/08 Scientists question Yarra toxic sediment AAP our highlighting Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

21/01/08 Toxic silt can be diluted to 'safe' levels Adam Morton, The Age our highlighting Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

19/01/08 Baillieu pushes check on bay dredge Clay Lucas, The Age; Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

19/01/08 New call to reveal safeguards Clay Lucas, The Age, Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

19/01/08 Anglers report 'sick' fish as Premier denies risk Matthew Burgess and David Rood, The Age - our highlighting Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

18/01/08 TOXIC SWILL NO PROBLEM FOR SHIPPERS, BLUE WEDGES MEDIA RELEASE Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

17/01/08 Deeply disturbing - Jeremy Loftus-Hills, The Age, Opinion Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08 Great Overview of economic imperatives and background -our highlights

17/01/08 JAPANESE TO RESCUE BAY BIRDS? BLUE WEDGES MEDIA RELEASE Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

16/01/08 D-day for bay as last legal hurdle falls Clay Lucas, The Age - our highlighting Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

Water National 15/01/08 Bay dredge gets go-ahead Clay Lucas, The Age with AAP Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

11/01/08 Late court bid to block dredging Clay Lucas, The Age Melbourne, Jan 08; Port Phillip

09/01/08 Water State 09/01/08 Channel deepening delay to affect bay beaches Clay Lucas, The Age Port Phillip Jan 08

07/10/08 CHANNEL DEEPENING IS A BILLION DOLLAR WHITE ELEPHANT! BLUE WEDGES MEDIA RELEASE Port Phillip Jan 08; Melbourne, Jan 08

Dredging: more heat on Brumby

Royce Millar, Clay Lucas and Adam Morton, The Age
January 31, 2008

Video Crew welcome cameras aboard the controversial bay dredger. The Age Jan 31^st 2008

PRESSURE on John Brumby to review the billion-dollar channel deepening project is intensifying, with former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer last night weighing into the debate and warning the Premier not to ignore the project's critics.

Mr Fischer, a freight expert who is well regarded on both sides of politics, said concern was growing within Melbourne's business community, as well as in upper levels of the Labor Party, over the impacts of dredging and its political fallout.

"I sense there is movement at the station in the key power circles in Melbourne on this issue," Mr Fischer said. "There are many good people deeply troubled by the dredging … and they're not cottage economy, candle-powered types."

With the Queen of the Netherlands dredger already in town and awaiting approval to begin channel deepening, Mr Fischer emphasised that he believed the project should go ahead.

But he said its negative impacts should be minimised where possible, and expressed support for upgrading Webb Dock — at the mouth of the Yarra — as a possible way of avoiding the need to dredge toxic silt further upstream.

Mr Fischer also joined calls for the state to fast-track its long-term plans for the transfer of container ship traffic to Hastings.

Mr Fischer, who served as trade minister as well as deputy prime minister in the Howard government, recently reviewed Victoria's rail freight system for the Brumby Government. One of his recommendations was to give priority to a new train line from Hastings to Cranbourne, to open the way for Western Port becoming the main container hub.

Last night, Mr Fischer also called for the restoration and upgrading of rail links to existing Melbourne ports as part of a broader solution to coping with growing container traffic.

"I would not ditch the dredging but if I was a Melburnite, I would be demanding an absolutely adequate rail connection to Webb Dock, and Swanson Dock. And I would also be demanding bringing forward Hastings."

He said that if it was possible to reduce the environmental impacts of dredging and avoid gridlock in Melbourne from a predicted four-fold increase in container traffic, the Government should do so.

While backing this week's call by ANL shipping line chief John Lines for an upgrade of Webb Dock to avoid the need for dredging toxic sediment from the Yarra — one of the most environmentally risky aspects of the project — he said this should occur only with a reinstated rail link to the dock. The rail link was ripped up by the Kennett government in the 1990s to make way for developing Docklands.

Last week, trucking magnate Lindsay Fox also called for a rethink of port planning and the fast-tracking of the Hastings plan. He said Melbourne roads were clogged with container traffic, and that Hastings would allow more freight to go by train.

In developments yesterday:

■Mr Brumby sparked an interstate spat by saying Melbourne would become a "backwater" like Adelaide if channel deepening did not go ahead.

■Port of Melbourne chief executive Stephen Bradford conceded that dredging was unlikely to start on schedule tomorrow. It is believed Environment Minister Peter Garrett is yet to receive advice from his department on the environmental management plan for the project, which must happen before dredging starts.

■Mr Bradford said it would cost the port about $250,000 every day the Dutch-owned Queen of the Netherlands sat idle.

■Anti-dredging group the Blue Wedges Coalition had a minor victory in the Federal Court, securing the right to challenge Mr Garrett's decision last month to approve the project. A hearing is set for February 20, but the port can still start dredging within 24 hours of approval for its environmental plan — unless an injunction is obtained.

■The Association of Bayside Municipalities, comprising 10 councils ringing Port Phillip Bay, demanded the Government allow more time between federal approval of the environmental plan and the start of dredging to allow full public scrutiny of how dredging would be monitored.

Invoking the grand rail planning of Sir John Monash as inspiration, Mr Fischer called for "holistic, lateral-type thinking" to solve Melbourne's port and freight challenges, including an early move to Hastings.

State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu also said yesterday he supported making better use of Webb Dock if it was practical and meant dredging the Yarra could be avoided.

But Mr Brumby dismissed what he called "simplistic" arguments about upgrading Webb Dock. While not ruling out making better use of it before 2015, he said its proponents did not seem to be factoring in the cost of either a tunnel under the Yarra, which he said would be about $500 million, or bridge over it (more than $100 million) to carry the freight.

He also warned of the likely opposition that a new rail bridge over the river would trigger.

Mr Fischer agreed that a rail bridge adjacent to Bolte Bridge would be opposed by Docklands apartment owners. He said an alternative option — costing less than $50 million— would be a "punt" that could carry groups of train carriages across the river.

Mr Fischer said that, properly planned, the "real joy" of the Hastings option was that it would allow 90% of containers to go by rail. At the moment it is less than 20% at Melbourne.

Mr Fischer stressed his comments on Webb Dock and Hastings were as a private citizen, not as chairman of the freight review.

Adding to pressure on Mr Brumby, a powerful shipping lobby group said yesterday that the decision to dredge millions of tonnes of toxic silt from the Yarra should never have been made.

Shipping Australia chief executive Llew Russell said: "We put it to the Port of Melbourne a few years ago that dredging of the Yarra mouth should not go ahead, and they told us it was just too late."

Asked if the Port of Melbourne had bullied shipping lines into accepting dredging of the Yarra rather than development of Webb Dock, Mr Russell said: "Well, they were rather forceful in their views."

Anglers report 'sick' fish as Premier denies risk

Fisherman Tony Spiteri caught a whiting with blotches on its head. The Environment Protection Authority is investigating reports of seven fish species having lesions.
Photo: Joseph Feil

Latest related coverage

Matthew Burgess and David Rood, The Age - our highlighting
January 19, 2008

A FISHERMAN hooked a fish with strange blotches a day after authorities warned of lesion-bearing fish being caught in parts of Port Phillip Bay.

Anglers told The Age of some species — including whiting and flathead — that were caught recently that had unusual markings.

Fisherman Tony Spiteri noticed strange blotches on one whiting he caught near Altona yesterday. "It just had a red mark on top of its head, an inch round," Mr Spiteri said. "The edge of it looked a bit white."

On Thursday, the Environment Protection Authority said it was investigating reports of seven species — cobbler, blowfish, flathead, trevally, luderick, whiting and bream — caught with lesions on them in Hobsons Bay and Port Phillip Bay.

The Department of Primary Industries is also investigating.

The fish were caught between Port Melbourne and Werribee South.

The Department of Human Services warned people to avoid touching or eating fish that had lesions.

Mr Brumby said it was "ludicrous" to draw any connection between the fish problem and the planned dredging of Port Phillip Bay to deepen shipping channels.

Fisheries Victoria executive director Peter Appleford said outbreaks of lesions and lethargy among fish occurred every 10 to 15 years and a definitive cause might not be found for this week's reports.

He said tests had shown the lesions were not toxic.

"The bay acts like a big estuary so at the top end it is very dependent on freshwater flows, winds, currents, rainfall and temperature and sometimes you get a mix that stresses the fish out," Mr Appleford said.

"And once they get stressed, they tend to get sick, like we do."

Spiros Foscolos, food quality manager at the Melbourne Fish Market, said he had not seen any affected fish and there had been no complaints.

Mr Foscolos said most of the fish that came through the market was from Bass Strait or the deep waters off South Australia, Victoria and NSW.

"The amount of fish from Port Phillip Bay that comes into this market is negligible," he said.

"I had a look around the Victoria Market this morning and there was nothing there I could identify from the bay."

TOXIC SWILL NO PROBLEM FOR SHIPPERS

BLUE WEDGES MEDIA RELEASE

FRIDAY18TH JANUARY 2008 (first of 2)

"If dredging was to start soon, what we might end up with is a toxic swill, not fit for anything except sailing a supertanker through", says Jenny Warfe Blue Wedges spokesperson.

Recreational and commercial fishermen point to the recent decision to reduce environmental flow from the Yarra to supplement Melbourne’s water supply as a likely contributor to the current outbreak of lesions in several popular fish species. Drought conditions combined with deliberate reduction in environmental flows from the Yarra means higher pollutant and nutrient concentrations have entered the Bay, and then the food chain.

"EPA’s warning not to touch or eat fish found in the north of the Bay following multiple findings of fish - flathead, whiting, trevally and others with obvious lesions is a loud and clear warning call. Mr. Garrett and Mr. Brumby must call a halt to dredging and commission a full study into what might happen to the Bay if dredging, drought and deliberate reduction of environmental flow continues".

The big question is: What might be the outcome if a sustained dredging campaign in the Yarra, (removing 5 kms and 10 million cubic metres of riverbed) releasing the one hundred years of toxins currently trapped and relatively inert deep in the Yarra sediments is added onto the effects from drought and reduced environmental flow?

The Port of Melbourne Corporation has not considered cumulative impacts of drought, deliberately reduced environmental flow, release of toxins and sustained turbidity from dredging the Yarra. Eight months of dredging the Yarra will impose additional stresses on its ecosystems by orders of magnitude to what those ecosystems are already experiencing. Something is already wrong, obviously, and dredging is another stress on top, with unknown consequences, perhaps by orders of magnitude", says Jenny.

What’s more, the human health risk assessment commissioned by the PoMC relied on water samples taken from a minor maintenance dredging campaign, (using a smaller and different type of dredge to what PoMC plans to use in the Yarra) and which went nowhere near the Yarra, where the highest concentrations of toxins are. Even so, their inadequate assessment reveals that 100 people may become ill and 10 may develop a serious illness –which the PoMC rates as a "minor" and acceptable risk. "No-one I know thinks it is acceptable for 10 people to acquire a life threatening illness just so channel deepening can happen. Who would - other than the PoMC?" says Jenny.

Fishermen have commented that fish lesions are seen from time to time, but nothing like this has been seen since the last major drought which also coincided with when scallop dredging was banned in the Bay in the mid 1990's.

Hear it straight from the fishermen. Be at the Fishermen’s Hut, Vancouver Bait Supplies, end of Maddox Rd. Williamstown North (Mel 55 F8) at 3.00 PM today.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Mouth of Kororoit Creek, beautiful old fishing huts, wetlands

Blue Wedges spokespersons: John Willis 0407 053484

Jenny Warfe 0405 825769

Channel deepening delay to affect bay beaches

Clay Lucas, The Age
January 9, 2008

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Baywatch reveals swarms of unknown life

BEACHES in Port Phillip Bay will be affected by the $1 billion plan to deepen Melbourne's shipping channels until at least the summer of 2010, under a revised completion date for the controversial project.

The Port of Melbourne Corporation, which wants to remove 23 million cubic metres of sand, clay and contaminated silt from Melbourne's shipping channels so bigger ships can enter the port, has stretched its original completion date for the project from mid-2009 to December 31 next year.

With the project already delayed a month on the Port of Melbourne Corporation's most recent timetable, there is little chance the project will be completed before 2010.

A schedule for dredging released by the port corporation in June listed August 2009 as the completion date.

Since then, with alterations to the dredging technology to be used by Dutch dredge Royal Boskalis (which has a confidential financial "alliance" with the port corporation), the completion date has been set back.

Port of Melbourne Corporation spokesman Greg Russo said the project was expected to begin next month.

"The Port of Melbourne Corporation's expectation is to start dredging on 1 February and to have the dredging project completed by 31 December 2009," Mr Russo said.

Asked to supply a detailed schedule for the amended dredging plan, Mr Russo would say only that a "full environment management plan will be a public document and must be approved before dredging can commence".

He said the plan would be released in the near future.

News of the extended dredging schedule comes as the first of five massive ships destined for Melbourne to begin the project begins its journey to Port Phillip Bay.

The Black Marlin, a transport vessel that will be used to unload barges that will carry uncontaminated spoil from the project to dumping grounds in the middle of the bay, was scheduled to have arrived in Melbourne yesterday. Because of poor weather, it left the West Australian port of Dampier yesterday.

The Blue Wedges Coalition, long-time opponents of the plan to deepen Melbourne's shipping channels, will tomorrow go to the Federal Court to challenge the right of federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett to approve the project.

The group says the Port of Melbourne Corporation's original 2002 plans — which were what Mr Garrett approved on December 20 — differ markedly from the final dredging plan put forward by the corporation in 2007.