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DRAFT 12-02-13

DRAFT 12-02-13. Proposal to manage dredging spoil as a valuable resource for the betterment of Cairns community and economy. By: Norm Whitney & Peter Senior. KEY POINTS. Ports North propose dredging the Trinity Inlet Channel and dumping this spoil near our reef.

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DRAFT 12-02-13

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  1. DRAFT 12-02-13 Proposal to manage dredging spoil as a valuable resource for the betterment of Cairns community and economy. By: Norm Whitney & Peter Senior

  2. KEY POINTS Ports North propose dredging the Trinity Inlet Channel and dumping this spoil near our reef. Dredging spoil is potentially a valuable resource that should not be treated as waste. Ports North, some of its advisors and some Brisbane bureaucrats consider it acceptable to dump huge quantities of spoil near our reef - most Cairns residents disagree. A more logical and longer-term approach is to use this spoil for projects that benefit Cairns economy and community. CRC is the correct body to direct assessment of options for this spoil, and decide optimum action for the benefit of Cairns community and economy.

  3. Ports North plan to‘…enhance cruise ship visit numbers, involve dredging a broader and deeper entrance channel to allow port access for larger cruise ships and upgrading berth infrastructure within Trinity Inlet.’ (Ports North AIS report, July 2112) Ports North propose dredging ‘5,073,600’ m3 of spoil and dumping this at an extended area near the reef out from Yorkeys Knob. This proposal presumably meets Ports North imperative for least cost and compliance with State Government "directive or policy".

  4. Even if some bureaucrats in Brisbane approve the extended dump site, do YOUwant 5+ million cubic metres of dredging spoil dumped near our reef?

  5. Dredging spoil is a valuable resource. There are numerous opportunities to use this massive amount of spoil to benefit Cairns’ economy and community.

  6. Question: If spoil is a valuable resource, would it make sense to dredge out more than the minimum amount proposed by Ports North? This could avoid ‘introducing some tidal constraints to access by the cruise ships’* as well as doubling the amount of spoil available for projects using this spoil for the betterment of Cairns. * Reference: Ports North AIS report, July 2012 ‘This iterative design process allowed a reduction of channel dredge volumes from 10,058,000 m3 to a final dredge volume of 5,073,600 m3. This reduction in volumes was achieved through the optimisation of channel width and more critically by establishing a channel depth, that while introducing some tidal constraints to access by the cruise ships, achieved significant dredge volume reductions.’

  7. Just one indication of the value of spoil: Portsmith commercial area was created using dredging spoil from the Trinity Inlet.

  8. A deeper channel could allow larger liners such as Queen Mary II to dock at Cairns Cruise Terminal, and allow greater flexibility for arrival and departure times for other cruise, naval and commercial ships.

  9. Imagine filling Cazalys Stadium with 5 million m3 spoil. Eiffel Tower 320 metres 250 metres deep

  10. …. Or having 15 million m3 ofthis potentially valuable resource available for on-land projects in Cairns! Eiffel Tower 320 metres 750 metres deep!

  11. Cairns would have had this magnificent resort at East Trinity, opposite the cruise terminal. But the Queensland Labor Government withdrew approval. A still-secret negotiation resulted in the NatWest bank being paid, rumoured to be many millions of dollars of YOUR MONEY in compensation. The next photos show what over 10 years of gross mis-management of this land by State and Federal government departments has produced.

  12. East Trinity, 8 years ago. East Trinity, November 2012. Note the dead melaleucas. Spoil bulk-fill could assist fixing this environmental disaster.* * Reference: 1995 Brannock report on East Trinity, Page 5.6:'The results of the geotechnical investigations are present in a background report (Golder Associates 1995)…It is evident from this analysis that the composition of the material will form an engineered fill of sufficient quality for most, in not all, the bulk fill requirements of the East Trinity site.'

  13. Imagine you’re a Chinese tourist, or a visitor with an RV, or a local resident, which would you prefer? This or…

  14. Or this? An even better Esplanade beach than Townsville! Graphics by local artist, Csaba Sreder Plus an RV-Park, Parkland, and a quiet bird -watching area

  15. Whoshould ensure Cairns economy and community get the most out of this massive amount of valuable resource? • Ports North imperatives are least-cost and compliance with State Government directive or policy; their dredging proposal includes 2 years for an EAS assessment, then only 8 months to dredge the channel. Our elected representatives on Cairns Regional Council are the right people to lead, expedite and make the most of this once-in-a-decade opportunity for the Cairns community and economy.

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