Rapp. Comm. int. Mer M้dit., 36,2001
411
The coastal management directed to the sustainable development of
human activities is a complex process that involves the systematic use and
integration of different kind of information regarding environmental qual-
ity, political and economical aspects. In this context environmental plan-
ning is a process for deciding how to control the anthropogenic effects on
the environment and to operate in order to protect its health.
In 1998 the Italian Ministry of the Environment, with the aim to encour-
age the environmental planning, financed an ICRAM (Istituto Centrale per
la Ricerca scientifica e tecnologica Applicata al Mare) research program to
indicate the methodological criteria for the selection and management of
marine disposal sites.
Dredging activities are necessary to allow the functionality of the har-
bours and large amount of dredged sediments have to be removed and dis-
posed off every year.
According with the international criteria (1,2,3) about the management
of the dredged material the Italian Guidelines (4) suggest different alterna-
tives in relation with the integration of chemical-physical and ecotoxico-
logical characteristics, to define several classes of sediment quality. In rela-
tion to the harbour sediment quality the guidelines advise the destination
of clean sediments for beach nourishment, as first management solution;
secondly, different kinds of reuse, after or without specific mechanical
treatment are proposed. Several examples of the most common interna-
tional reuses and destinations are on confined disposal sites in harbours,
manufacture of building material and wetlands creation. When is not pos-
sible to pursue these aims the clean material can be dumped in to the sea.
In Italy, at the moment the cleanest harbour dredged material is still dis-
posed in marine dumping sites, after the assessment of its environmental
suitability to receive sediments. As reported in the Guidelines, the sites
have to be monitored during and after the dumping activities, in order to
investigate possible environmental and economic impacts.
In this paper is brie?y described the methodological way adopted to
individuate suitable dredged material disposal sites.
The main objectives of the project were related to:
creation of a database of environmental parameters;
data management and maps creation by using a Geographic Information
System (G.I.S);
rationalisation of the use of sea bottom and protection of the natural
resources;
implementation of a balanced relation between the economic activities
and the ecosystem.
In this study lasted two years we took in consideration the environmen-
tal characteristics (geochemical, biological, ecotoxicological) and eco-
nomical aspects of two different Mediterranean Sea areas: the first one
from La Spezia (Ligurian Sea) to the Circeo Promontory (Tyrrhenian Sea),
the second from the Po River to the Conero Promontory (Adriatic Sea).
We collected all the bibliographic information about the presence of
protected areas, the localisation of the fisheries nursery areas, the grain size
distribution, the organic (IPA, PCB, DDTs) compounds, trace metals and
the macrobenthic characteristics of the sea bottom from the coast to the
isobath of 200 m. Particular attention was given to the information about
all the marine disposal sites used in the past to dump dredged material and
the amount of sediments discharged for each single site, to the localisation
of marine optic fiber cables, platforms, no anchorage area, ri?e ranges, etc.
In figure 1 an example of a map reporting this information for a limited
coastal region is represented.
In order to make up for local insufficient literature information, in 1998
and 1999 two field sampling activities in some marine areas were carried
out. Considering the total lack of ecotoxicological data regarding Italian
coasts, particular attention to the application of bioassays using different
specie-test was given, in order to evaluate the bioavailability of contami-
nants.
From the economical point of view we analysed the most important fish-
ery activities in the investigated areas and the requirements of each har-
bour, such as the amount of dredged material per year, in order to create a
specific database to utilise in mapping creation and GIS elaboration. At the
same way all the information obtained from bibliography and surveys were
mapped by G.I.S; subsequently, different maps have been overlapped, in
order to integrate the available information and to select specific marine
areas to locate dumping sites with the aim to limit as possible environ-
mental impacts (5,6).
The integration of bibliographic information, surveys data and GIS elab-
oration's allowed to identify five possible zones (one site in the Adriatic
Sea and four in the Tyrrenian Sea), to locate dumping sites considered
compatible with marine environmental and social-economical conditions.
This project represents one of the first Italian attempts to provide new
methodological criteria of environmental planning available for policy
makers and planners in the decision making regarding the protection of the
environment and other social values.
Figure 1. Example of map overlay between sea use and bioco-
enotic information in a limited area of adriatic coast.
References
1) Anzecc (Australian and New Zeland Environment and Conservation
Council), 1998. Interim ocean disposal guidelines, pp 148.
2) EPA, 1992. Environmental Protection Agency Evaluating Environmental
effects of dredged material managment alternatives. A technical framework.
3) UNEP, 1999. Guidelines for the management of dredged material.
UNEP(OCA)MED WG. 161/6, pp 33.
4) ICRAM, 2001. Linee Guida sulla movimentazione dei fondali marini e di
ambienti ad essi contigui, Quaderno ICRAM (in press).
5) Ashdown M. and Schaller J., 1990. Geographic information systems and
their application in MAB-projects, ecosystem research and environmental
monitoring. MAB Mitteilungen 34: pp.250.
6) Mills N. L., 1989. A multi-phase approach to site selection. Site-selection
and Industrial Development, 158(3): 769-773.
METHODOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION OF MARINE DISPOSAL SITES
Pulcini M.*, Virno Lamberti C., Gabellini M., Onorati F., Ausili A. and Pellegrini D.
ICRAM. Rome. Italy - mpulcini@rdn.it
Abstract
In Italy the most common management of harbour dredged material is sea dumping; nevertheless, several alternatives destinations are
suggested in the recent Italian Guidelines according to the international procedures. In order to develop methodological criteria to locate
marine disposal sites a multidisciplinary project was developed, integrating literature information, experimental data and G.I.S.
elaboration. The attention was focused on Tyrrenian and Adriatic Sea, where five areas of interest in potential discharge operations were
located. This allowed developing tools for policy makers in the decision making of environmental planning.
Keywords: coastal management, GIS, sediments
