Marine and Waterway Environmental Management

PORT, HARBOUR, AND WATERWAY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Since earliest times, ports and waterways have played a critical role both in expanding trace and commerce and in extending the interaction of civilizations. Our history and literature are filled with daring tales of ships leaving port to trade with distant countries often travelling for weeks and months. As the format of marine transportation has changed from sailing ships to coal-burning steamers to the latest in container shipping, ports and waterways have altered to meet these changes in shipping.

• Navigational dredging and dredged material disposal
• Construction of new piers and wharves
• Construction of new terminals with extensive back-up facilities for container storage
• Widening and deepening of navigational channels in rivers
• Construction of new shiplocks
• Implementation of oil spill response capabilities
• Implementation of reception facilities for MARPOL ship wastes

As ports and waterways respond to increased traffic loading and ship size, there is a concurrent public demand that the environmental impacts associated with the construction and operation of these facilities is also addressed.

Land & Sea Environmental Consultants Ltd. / OCL Group has worked with Port Authorities from the smallest fishing ports in Atlantic Canada to some of the largest commercial ports in the world to identify, develop and implement good environmental management practices.

In many ports and waterway systems, dredging and dredged material disposal in support of maintenance of navigation is a critical task. Land & Sea Environmental has worked with numerous port and navigation authorities to provide environmental management of sediments including characterization of contamination, preparation of EIA and Disposal at Sea Permits and monitoring of operations, including confined disposal facilities. Senior staff have presented to numerous national and international conferences, as well as being members of advisory panels to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Efforts to reduce and manage the entry of contaminants to harbour sediments led naturally to development of plans and practices regarding port activities, including provision of ship waste reception facilities and port waste management plans. In turn, this led to development of port environmental management planning and use of good environmental practices to assist in port planning and design. Land & Sea Environmental has worked with numerous port authorities to address ship waste and port waste issues, including development of policy documents, regulations and the training of staff.