Assignment Case

DREDGING

The unloading area will be a vacant lot that is heavily vegetated, the entailed vegetation loss and the subsequent disturbance and dispersal of the fauna thriving in it would be significant. Trees, grasses and other vegetation will be removed from the ground resulting in the reduction of the ecosystem services, primarily nutrient cycling, and soil and water retention. However, one of the most significant implications of this removal of ground cover would be the exposure of the soil in the area to agents of erosion such as wind or water, as a result, soil erosion could become a significant problem.

The clearing of the area and the subsequent construction of the unloading facility will use heavy machineries or earth movers such as bulldozers, road graders, backhoes, dump trucks, and light equipment such as chainsaws, all of which use oil and grease. Spillage of these substances on the area would be a valid concern also. Aside from the contribution of these heavy equipment and machineries to soil erosion, they would cause soil degradation via soil compaction which would compress the pores of the soil in the ground and convert it into relatively impermeable layer in which water, air and/or plant root could not be able to penetrate and move into.

When the spoil or dredged materials are hauled out from the barges and unloaded into the staging container, the water in the spoil could spill or leak from the container. This is critical since this leaked or spilled water can contain heavy metal and organic contaminants which can make the area more toxic to living organisms or taint the underground water that could be under the area or the river adjacent to it.