2006, CMACS, Burbo Bank, Suspended Sediment Concentration Monitoring

This project relates to the monitoring undertaken by Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies Ltd (CMACS) on behalf of SeaScape Energy Ltd towards meeting the requirements of the Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) 1985 (as amended) Licence No31864/06/0 in respect of Suspended sediment concentration (SSC) monitoring during cable installation works. The specific aim of the monitoring was to validate and confirm predictions made in the project Environmental Statement. The monitoring was also undertaken to confirm that suspended sediments remained within parameters that were agreed with regulators before construction. Suspended sediment monitoring was undertaken from a small vessel using a hand deployed suspended sediment probe calibrated against local sediments. The monitoring demonstrated clearly that both cable installation techniques had only small scale impacts on localised suspended sediment concentrations. Effects were measurable to a few hundred metres only and suspended sediments were not elevated more than five times background.