Every year in France, dredging operations are carried out to maintain
navigable waterways, restore waterways and/or improve the quality of the
aquatic environment. Between 40 and 50 million m3 of dredged material are
extracted each year, 90% of which is used to dredge ports. Currently, 90% of
dredged material is submerged. The remainder, around seven million m3 of sediment
per year, is channelled into land-based management processes. The knowledge and
experience acquired in recent years have enabled considerable progress to be
made in the management and recovery of dredged sediments. Nevertheless,
questions remain, particularly concerning the impact on the ecosystem of
sediments deposited on land.
The context of this study therefore
concerns the ecological impact of polluted dredging and/or cleaning sediments
deposited on land. The objectives of the study are (i) to define the
physico-chemical characteristics of the sediments and their contamination
following deposition, (ii) to assess the effects of the pollutants on the
ecological characteristics of the receiving environment, (iii) to study the
feasibility of an ERA (Ecosystem Risk Assessment)
approach applied to sediments deposited on land, (iv) to propose a strategy for
prioritising the impacts of extracted sediments and finally (v) to draw up
recommendations for the management of polluted sediments extracted and deposited
on land.
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