Australia approves dumping in Great Barrier reef

[StuM]

Originally Posted by bobsadler

Please don't.

If you do you will lower the average IQ in both countries.

[Pelagic]

Gotta Love Australia's sense of humor


These were posted on an Australian tourism website, and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humor (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)
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Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown, and then just sit around watching them die.
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Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.
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Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles. Take lots of water.
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Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK )
A: What did your last slave die of?
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Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? (USA)
A: Af-ri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
Aust-ra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not ..
Oh, forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.
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Q: Which direction is North in Australia ? (USA)
A: Face south, and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
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Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.
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Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is ...
Oh, forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
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Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? (UK)
A: You are a British politician, right?
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Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.
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Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-mer-ica, which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled, and make good pets.
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Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia, but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them.
You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
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Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
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Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.
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Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

[Teleman]

Back to the dumping...........
I'm a lifelong conservationist, I live on this stretch of coast, I fish and dive on the reef.
The dump area is more than 80 kms from the nearest coral. All that's being dumped is seabed on seabed. No problem, no impact.

Note: I said I'm a conservationist. I hate greenies. It's like a fanatical new religion, blind faith and group-speak instead of facts and science.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

No it's' not boatie It is a default signature that comes with smart phones that can automatically sync with other devices.
Just discovered how to turn it off for this CF App

Not you mate.. the manufacturers.. what happened to discreet labelling..

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Teleman

Back to the dumping...........
I'm a lifelong conservationist, I live on this stretch of coast, I fish and dive on the reef.
The dump area is more than 80 kms from the nearest coral. All that's being dumped is seabed on seabed. No problem, no impact.

Note: I said I'm a conservationist. I hate greenies. It's like a fanatical new religion, blind faith and group-speak instead of facts and science.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Teleman

... The dump area is more than 80 kms from the nearest coral. All that's being dumped is seabed on seabed. No problem, no impact ...

It’s not that simple; and the facts & science might suggest otherwise.
The sediment released during excavation, dredging, transport and disposal of sediment (spoils) is visible (turbidity) as plumes or clouds of sediment in the water column and/or close to the seabed. Local hydrodynamics can transport this sediment over considerable distances from the dredging and deposition sites.

[Oceanride007]

To Add to Gord, "Duration" as it could go for years. Bet local fisherman not happy.

[Reefmagnet]

Late in the argument on this one. Someone mentioned the Burnett River being near Ayr and Abbot Point. It's actually the Burdekin River. Living in the region I have a slight vested interest in the Abbot Point expansion. For those that know the area, this part of the coast from Gladstone through to Bowen is subject to large tidal ranges (up to 10 metres at Broad Sound). When combined with trade winds and wet seasons we do end up with comparatively turbid water in some areas on a very regular basis. Some may not be aware also that we have the largest coal terminal in the Southern Hemisphere located south of Mackay (Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay). Not far off the coast from these terminals are spoil grounds which are marked on the charts.

In my opinion the dredging spoil will add little to the overall volume of silt flowing into Great Barrier Reef waters. As an indication, check out this picture taken a month ago:



This was taken in Keppel Bay off the Capricorn Coast. The island in the background is Great Keppel Island. The silt is coming out of the Fitzroy River system. Aside from trade winds and king tides, there had been little rain prior to this. We were actually returning from Great Keppel Island when I took this photo and I'm pleased to report the water in the bay we anchored in over there was clean and clear. Silt from land clearing is the major problem and has been for years. Abbot Point dredging is a literal drip. While there is no doubt the reef has been affected, it is a big, huge, massive reef system and has survived for millions of years in the past despite other environmental calamities (e.g. ice ages) and I reckon it will survive into the future despite mankind's best efforts otherwise.

Gladstone, on the other hand, is a whole new kettle of malformed fish. Thanks to coal dust, just about every dirty industry in queensland lumped in the one place, dodgy bund walls and gas plants / coal terminals being installed at a crazy pace this is the place that should be ground zero for the greenies.

[DumnMad]

+1 Reefmagnet People who worry about this sort of dredged silt dumping are just showing their ignorance of natural processes.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Abbot Point dredging is a literal drip. While there is no doubt the reef has been affected, it is a big, huge, massive reef system and has survived for millions of years ... and I reckon it will survive into the future despite mankind's best efforts otherwise.

Gladstone, on the other hand, is a whole new kettle of malformed fish. Thanks to coal dust, just about every dirty industry in queensland lumped in the one place, dodgy bund walls and gas plants / coal terminals being installed at a crazy pace this is the place that should be ground zero for the greenies.

Those are both the same side of the coin though, aren't they? All you're saying above is that of the two named human impositions on the environment, you're apparently ok with one but not the other. Which is your right. I guess the 'greenie' retort would be that they're both impositions on the area, and permitting a lesser one makes it more likely that the greater will be committed again in time. Slippery slope...

(btw, as far as I can tell, the Abbot Pt dredge & dump has been reasonably well-thought-out and the potential impact, though not zero, is quite low, which means the system worked as it should)

I will say though that with the overfishing and destruction of ocean floor habitat, ocean acidification, and warming going on, the earth ain't seen anything quite like us yet, and the GBR, like all the world's reefs, is very much under threat.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Those are both the same side of the coin though, aren't they? All you're saying above is that of the two named human impositions on the environment, you're apparently ok with one but not the other. Which is your right. I guess the 'greenie' retort would be that they're both impositions on the area, and permitting a lesser one makes it more likely that the greater will be committed again in time. Slippery slope...

(btw, as far as I can tell, the Abbot Pt dredge & dump has been reasonably well-thought-out and the potential impact, though not zero, is quite low, which means the system worked as it should)

I will say though that with the overfishing and destruction of ocean floor habitat, ocean acidification, and warming going on, the earth ain't seen anything quite like us yet, and the GBR, like all the world's reefs, is very much under threat.

I'm a bit of greenie myself but I'm "ok" with the issue in the sense that a facet of human society requires ongoing economic growth in order to stop us all returning to the stone age. Not everyone can make a living painting unicorns in paradise so inevitably the environment suffers. I think the key is determining what is and what is not an acceptable trade off and, keeping in mind there has been a lot of expert input into the aspect of dumping of the spoil, I think the Abbot Point project is an acceptable trade off.

[Parmenter]

Originally Posted by 0urh

The Burnett River mouth (shown in above picture) is near Bundaberg, south of Gladstone and a long, long way south of Abbott Point where the proposed dumping is to occur.

Actually, it is the Burdekin River shown in the above picture
You can easily distinguish it as such by looking at the coastline.

I mistakenly called it the Burnett.

[Oceanride007]

Originally Posted by Teleman

Back to the dumping...........
I'm a lifelong conservationist, I live on this stretch of coast, I fish and dive on the reef.
The dump area is more than 80 kms from the nearest coral. All that's being dumped is seabed on seabed. No problem, no impact.

Note: I said I'm a conservationist. I hate greenies. It's like a fanatical new religion, blind faith and group-speak instead of facts and science.

I'm a bit of a Greenie, but I am also OK with this project. with the proviso that the Great Barrier Marine park authority, has done there job estimates responsibly and have determined this dump as low risk, can't say the same for Gladstone project thou.

[Parmenter]

Originally Posted by GordMay

It’s not that simple; and the facts & science might suggest otherwise.

Gord, I think facts and science have proven that it is that simple.
It's ill-informed opinion, sensationalist journalism and fear-mongering that have suggested otherwise.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Parmenter

Gord, I think facts and science have proven that it is that simple.
It's ill-informed opinion, sensationalist journalism and fear-mongering that have suggested otherwise.

Originally Posted by Oceanride007

I'm a bit of a Greenie, but I am also OK with this project. with the proviso that the Great Barrier Marine park authority, has done there job estimates responsibly and have determined this dump as low risk, can't say the same for Gladstone project thou.

I didn’t express an (inexpert) opinion on this proposed project; which may, OR may not, pose a significant environmental risk. I haven’t reviewed the studies; nor have I any particular hydrology expertise.

Notwithstanding, to suggest that a particular separation is a priori evidence of “no risk” just doesn’t compute (IMHO).

If you have evidence that there is no/little/accepatable risk associated with this project, then present it; but (I’m certain) it won’t be “simple”.