Techworks Marine - Deployment of monitoring buoys in Bay – AA Screening report

Project Description

Techworks Marine submitted an application for a Foreshore Licence for the deployment of 4 monitoring buoys in Dublin Bay. The monitoring buoys are to be deployed in order to ensure compliance, by Dublin Port Company, with the EPA Dumping at Sea Permit (S0024-01) granted to the Port Company as part of the re-development of the Alexandra Basin project. Techworks Marine has been contracted by Dublin Port Company to carry out the turbidity monitoring.

Details of the buoys, sensors and mooring arrangements as well as the method of deployment and recovery are provided in the Supporting documentation provided by the applicant. The buoys will initially measure turbidity and record underwater acoustics. It is intended that the buoys may also be used for testing other sensors and telemetry units as the monitoring programme develops.

The location of the proposed buoy deployments is shown in the Foreshore Licence map, dated 12/05/17 submitted by the applicant.

It is intended that the buoys will be deployed over a 5 year period initially from July 2017 – May 2018 and subsequently from September 2018 – May 2019, September 2019 – May 2020 and September 2020 – May 2021 in conjunction with the dredging and dumping operations proposed by Dublin Port Company.

The buoys are 1.9 - 3.0m in diameter and will be anchored to the seabed using heavy chain moorings.

Natura 2000 sites

The location of the proposed deployments of the buoys is within the to Island SAC (Site Code 003000) and circa:

 3.4 Km from the nearest boundary of the Head SAC (Site Code 000202)  4.0 Km from the nearest boundary of the North Bull Island SPA (Site Code 004006)  5.7Km from the nearest boundary of the North Dublin Bay SAC (Site Code 000206)  6.1 Km from the nearest boundary of the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka SPA (Site Code 004204)  8.0 Km from the nearest boundary of the South Dublin Bay SAC (Site Code 000210)

Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC

This site includes a range of dynamic inshore and coastal waters in the western . These include sandy and muddy seabed, reefs, sandbanks and islands. This site extends southwards, in a strip approximately 7 km wide and 40 km in length, from Rockabill, running adjacent to Howth Head, and crosses Dublin Bay to Frazer Bank in south Co. Dublin. The site encompasses Dalkey, Muglins and Rockabill islands. The site is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) selected for the following habitats and/or species listed on Annex I / II of the E.U. Habitats Directive

 Reefs  Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

The Conservation Objectives of this SAC are1

 To maintain the favourable conservation condition of Reefs in Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC,  To maintain the favourable conservation condition of Harbour porpoise in Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC,

The location of the deployment of the buoys as proposed does not overlap with any area of reef habitat and therefore this habitat will not be affected.

During the initial deployment of the buoys there may be disturbance to Harbour Porpoise due to noise. This, however, will be localised and of very short duration (< 1 day) and will not result in significant impacts on Harbour Porpoise within the SAC. Once the buoys are in situ there will be no impact on Harbour Porpoise within the SAC.

There is no spatial overlap of the proposed works with any of the adjacent Natura sites. There will be no reduction in habitat area and no habitat or species fragmentation within any of the Natura 2000 sites arising from the proposed works. Similarly there will be no reduction in species density and no changes in key indicators of conservation value within the Natura 2000 sites arising from the proposed works.

There will be no emissions to water or direct discharge of pollutants into the environment during the works and water quality will not be affected. There will be no impact on water quality in any of the Natura 2000 sites arising from the proposed works.

On the basis of the above it is concluded that the deployment of monitoring buoys in Dublin Bay for a period of 5-years as proposed does not pose significant risks to the conservation features of the Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC or of any of the adjacent Natura 2000 sites and that there will be no significant effects on the qualifying interests’ of the Natura 2000 sites. On this basis it is concluded that a Stage 2 full Appropriate Assessment is not required.

Marine Institute, on behalf of the MLVC, 18/08/2017

1 NPWS (2013) Conservation Objectives: Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC 003000. Version 1. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.