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POC Maintenance Dredging Application | January 2014 Attachment F.1 Impact on the Existing Environment Reports included as part of this attachment: • Assessment of Benthic and Fisheries Impacts of Maintenance Dredging in Lough Mahon and the Lower River Lee, Aquatic Services Unit (March 2013) [included as part of Attachment B.2]. • Water Injection Dredging Tracer Study, Van Oord (July 2012) [included as part of Attachment D.3]. • Cork Dredge Spoil Disposal Site – Video and Benthic Grab Survey and Impact Hypothesis, Aquatic Services Unit (November 2004) [included as part of Attachment E.2 (i)] • Cork Dredge Spoil Disposal Site, Irish Hydrodata (November 2013) [included as part of Attachment E.2 (i)] • Port of Cork Maintenance Dredging Habitats Directive Assessment, Screening Statement, RPS (January 2014) [included separately within this Attachment F.1] • Irish Hydrodata Bathymetric Surveys (September 2013) [included separately within this Attachment F.1] • Integrated Report on Environmental Aspects of Cork Harbour Dredging, Port of Cork (March 2013) [included separately within this Attachment F.1] • Sediment Pin Survey, Aquatic Services Unit (December 2011) [included separately within this Attachment F.1] • Environmental Aspects of Cork Harbour Dredging, Van Oord (May 2012) [included separately within this Attachment F.1] Port of Cork Maintenance Dredging Habitats Directive Assessment, Screening Statement rpsgroup.com Port of Cork Maintenance Dredging Dumping at Sea Application Habitats Directive Assessment Screening Statement DOCUMENT CONTROL SHEET Client: Port of Cork Project Title: Maintenance Dredging Dumping at Sea Application Document Title: Screening Statement Document No: D01 No. of List of DCS TOC Text List of Figures This Document Appendices Tables Comprises: 1 1 61 2 1 1 Office of Rev Status Author(s) Reviewed By Approved By Issue Date Origin Working E. Kelly/S. V01 S. Downes Limerick Draft Downes Draft issued to V02 S. Downes M. McConnell Limerick 13.01.2014 client for review V03 Final S. Downes M. McConnell G. Glasgow Limerick 21.01.2014 rpsgroup.com/ireland PoC Maintenance Dredging HDA Screening Statement TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 REGULATORY CONTEXT................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1 Guidance .......................................................................................................... 5 1.1.2 Other Legislation .............................................................................................. 6 2. SCREENING FOR APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT ................................................................ 7 2.1 PROJECT SETTING AND BACKGROUND ............................................................................. 8 2.2 NEED FOR DREDGING .................................................................................................... 11 2.3 HISTORY OF DREDGING IN CORK HARBOUR ....................................................... 13 2.4 NATURE OF THE MATERIAL TO BE DREDGED AND DISPOSED ......................... 15 2-5 DISPOSAL OF DREDGE SPOIL ................................................................................ 18 2.6 DREDGING TECHNIQUES................................................................................................. 26 3.0 IDENTIFICATION OF RELEVANT NATURA 2000 SITES AND COMPILATION OF INFORMATION ON THEIR QUALIFYING INTERESTS ......................................................... 33 3.1 IDENTIFICATON OF RELEVANT NATURA 200 SITES WITHIN 15KM BUFFER............ 33 3.2 Screening Appraisal .............................................................................................. 43 3.2.1 Brief Description of the Other Plans/Projects Which Could Give Rise to In- combination Effects ........................................................................................ 51 3.2.2 Conclusions of assessment process.............................................................. 57 4.0 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 59 APPENDIX A......................................................................................................................................... 60 APPENDIX B......................................................................................................................................... 61 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2-1 Study Area, Cork City, Cork Harbour and Ringaskiddy........................................................8 Figure 2-2 Maintenance Dredging Location Plan (Reference Table 2.4) ............................................21 Figure 2-3 Dump Site Location ............................................................................................................22 Figure 2-4 Port of Cork Approved Dump Site in relation to Natura 2000 sites. ...................................23 Figure 2-5 1999 Survey – Ground Type from Sidescan Sonar Interpretation (Source; IHL, Impact Hypothesis Update 2013)...............................................................................................24 Figure 2-6 2013 Survey – Shaded Relief Map, with 1999 data overlain..............................................25 Figure 2-7 Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger Utrecht ...........................................................................27 Figure 2-8 WID within City Quays Trigger Areas .................................................................................29 IBE0887.00 i Rev V03 PoC Maintenance Dredging HDA Screening Statement Figure 2-9 WID within Tivoli Trigger Areas ..........................................................................................29 Figure 2-10 WID within Passage Trigger Areas.....................................................................................30 Figure 2-11 WID within Passage Trigger Areas.....................................................................................30 Figure 2-12 WID within Passage To Roche’s Point Areas.....................................................................31 Figure 2-13 WID within Whitegate Trigger Areas...................................................................................31 Figure 2-14 WID within Passage To Roche’s Point Areas.....................................................................32 Figure 3-1 Natura 2000 sites within 15km Buffer.............................................................................34 Figure 3-2 Natura 2000 Constraints Map surrounding proposed dredge areas and associated dump site ........................................................................................................................37 Figure 3-3 Common Tern nesting locations, 2011 (Source: Breeding Bird Surveys, 2011 RPS) ...50 LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1 Cork Harbour Main Characteristics.......................................................................................9 Table 2-2 Quantities Dumped at Site..................................................................................................15 Table 2-3 Sediment Chemistry Analysis.............................................................................................17 Table 2-4 Anticipated Dredge Volumes and subsequently Spoil Volumes 2014-2020 ......................19 Table 2-5 Breakdown of quantities to be dredged per year (2014 – 2020) ........................................20 Table 2-6 Dump Site Location ............................................................................................................22 Table 3-1 SAC and SPA sites located within 15km Buffer zone ....................................................33 Table 3-2 SPA and SACs screened out of the assessment...........................................................34 Table 3-3 Features of Interest within the Cork harbour SPA..............................................................35 Table 3-4 Features of Interest within the Great Island Channel SAC.................................................36 Table 3-5 Description of Natura 2000 Sites Screened in for further assessment...............................38 Table 3-6 Description of Natura 2000 Sites Screened in for further assessment...............................40 Table 3-7 Characterisation of Impacts............................................................................................43 IBE0887.00 ii Rev V03 PoC Maintenance Dredging HDA Screening Statement Table 3-8 Assessment of Residual Impacts ...................................................................................53 Table 3-9 Integrity of the Site in Relation to Residual Impacts.......................................................57 IBE0887.00 iii Rev V03 PoC Maintenance Dredging HDA Screening Statement 1 BACKGROUND This report has been prepared by RPS on behalf of the Port of Cork. The purpose of the report is to determine the potential impacts, if any, of the proposed Maintenance Dredging Programme and associated dumping of dredge spoil at sea within the Port of Cork. The previous EPA Dumping at Sea Permit (EPA Ref: S0013-01) expired on the 31st December 2012 and therefore it is critical that this application is submitted to the EPA given the requirements for maintenance dredging which will arise in the summer of 2014. The report is supported by focused field surveys (predominately aquatic) and data collated for the proposal both historically and newly