THURSDAY 11 JULY, 2019

Ports of Auckland marine dumping consent granted with conditions

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has granted consent to Ports of Auckland Limited to dispose of dredged sediment at an authorised dumping site.

Ports of Auckland Limited applied to dump material dredged from in and around the Port at an authorised location 15 km wide and 700-1200 metres deep. It lies 27 nautical miles (50 km) east of Cuvier Island, an uninhabited volcanic outcrop.

This location is one of five authorised dumping sites specified in the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects – Discharge and Dumping) Regulations 2015.

The marine dumping consent, which expires in 2054, allows Ports of Auckland Limited to dispose of up to a total cumulative capital dredge volume of 2,000,000 cubic metres (m3) at this site over the term of the consent, and a maximum of 50,000 m3 per year of maintenance dredge material.

The EPA concluded that the potential effects may be significant within the authorised dumping site, which has historically been used as a dumping site, including for unexploded ordnance; but effects outside that site would be, at worst, minor.

Despite this, Ports of Auckland Limited must comply with a number of conditions, which have been designed to avoid, remedy or mitigate adverse effects of the dumping.

These conditions include, but are not limited to:
• the maximum amount of material to be dumped
• sampling of dredge sediment before it is dumped, to ensure it does not breach contamination limits, and is suitable to be dumped in the EEZ
• certification by EPA of sampling methods and results for each sample site
• monthly reports on dumping activity, to be published online
• visual detection of marine mammals prior to any dumping activity occurring
Further information about this marine dumping consent is available in Questions and Answers on our website.

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