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Ports de the Balearic Islands has carried out dredging in the inner area of the port without measures to prevent the dispersion of silt in the water. GOB wants to know which environmental precautions have been taken to ensure that no further contamination occurs and where the extracted sediments will end up.
Port sediments are likely to be contaminated. These are areas of intensive use, where paints, fuel oils, and various discharges often end up being deposited on the seabed.
For this reason, legislation requires a chemical characterization of the sediments before any dredging operation is carried out. The Port of Ciutadella is also part of the protected area Canal de Menorca, included within the Natura 2000 Network.
Under these conditions, the processing of an environmental impact assessment is mandatory, and there is no record that it has been carried out. In addition, the sediments were deposited at the bottom of the Pla de Sant Joan, an area that lies within the public hydraulic domain and is a flood-prone zone.
GOB has sent a formal letter to Ports of the Balearic Islands requesting clarification on the following issues:
- Whether the sediments have been characterized to determine their chemical composition and to guarantee the absence of a risk of contamination by heavy metals or other priority substances.
- What final destination is planned for the extracted materials. The municipality of Ciutadella has permeable ground, and uncontrolled infiltration into the aquifer should not occur.
- When the environmental assessment procedure was carried out.
- Whether there is a favorable report from the Natura 2000 Network.
- What measures were applied during dredging to prevent the dispersion of suspended silt that could spread contamination within the port.
- Whether authorization was requested to deposit the sediments within the public hydraulic domain, in a flood-risk area.
GOB hopes that Ports of the Balearic Islands will open an investigation to determine how this action was carried out, identify breaches of environmental regulations, and establish responsibilities.
