Tuesday, September 2, 2014

THE OTHER SIDE OF PORT EXPANSION: DAMAGING THE ENVIRONMENT


THE OTHER SIDE OF PORT EXPANSION: DAMAGING THE ENVIRONMENT

It is true I have been quite bullish on the area ports expanding, and the exciting economic prospects that will bring, but there is another side to this. This article details the environmental collateral damage that is created by this expansion. All the port expansion we have been writing about lately are proposed, to the Port of Palm Beach and Port Everglades. But there is dredging taking place now in Miami at the Port of Miami, so this is what can also be expected at other ports once they expand. And what they are finding is exactly what opponents of port expansion claimed, that the dredging of the sea floor would smother coral and damage sea life. The problem is the amount of sediment that is being churned from the dredging, which prevents oxygen from reaching the bottom and kills coral reefs, sea grass and sea life. Now the Department of Environmental Protection has accused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the entity that is overseeing the work, of violating state permits and gave them 2 weeks to respond. State inspectors have confirmed that the monitoring of the dredging work is not working. This is a $205 million dollar project and like most construction jobs there are probably incentives for getting the work done quickly. It sounds like that is what is happening here, and the environment is the one who is suffering from it. This kind of damage can be long lasting, and affect the many pursuits that draw people to the area like fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc. But I am afraid there is too much money and potential economic benefits to stop this work. But it can certainly be done better, more responsibly and more safely. One of the ways that was discussed to accomplish that would be to have divers in the water at the bottom measuring the amount of sediment created rather than relaying up sophisticated equipment like they do now (which is clearly not working). All of this is really important because it will serve to guide the other area port expansions, and it seems like Miami is a testing ground for it now. Sometimes being first doesn’t have any benefits, but time will tell. What do you think? As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

Miami port dredging damaging sea life, state inspectors say


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