One of the World Heritage Sites, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park of Australia, has recently been approved as a dumping site for dredge spoil from the Abbot Point coal terminal... one hundred and six million cubic feet of it. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), dredging is ''the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbors, and other water bodies.'' So what does that mean exactly for the ecosystem that stretches along the coast of Queensland, Australia? That remains to be seen. The park covers well over 214,000 square miles of ocean floor and is home to thousands of species of marine life including not only coral, but mollusks, fish, jellyfish, sharks, and even whales. The ecosystem is a delicate one that could easily be upset by the smallest of changes.
According to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, testing has shown no identified contaminants in the soil to be dumped. While the marine park authority approved this dumping only under strict conditions, it does not change the fact that soil foreign to the area will be introduced.
Authority Chairman, Dr. Russell Reichelt assures concerned parties that the area for approved disposal consists of sand, silt, and clay, not coral reefs or sea grass beds. However, Australian Marine Conservation Society's Felicity Wishart reminds us that, while there may not be coral reefs in the immediate dumping area, there will be within the area that the sediment can travel, which is up to fifty miles. Though the soil may be contaminate free, that doesn't mean it isn't harmful. Different nutrient levels in the soil alone could threaten life in the reef.
