Disposal of dredged or excavated material at sea

The Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981 (Sea Dumping Act) regulates the loading and disposal at sea of dredged or excavated material in Australian waters.

Requirement for a permit

If you wish to dispose of capital and/or maintenance dredged or excavated material at sea, you will need a sea dumping permit.

Permits ensure:

the impacts of dredged material disposal are adequately assessed
any impacts to sensitive marine environments are managed responsibly and effectively.

If you are considering loading and disposing of material at sea, you should evaluate:

Alternatives to disposal at sea
waste minimisation approaches
site and impact assessments
management and monitoring programs.

If the proposed action is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP), you need a permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Reef Authority). Refer to the Reef Authority’s dredging policy and submit any enquiries or applications through assessments@gbrmpa.gov.au.

Sediment sampling and analysis plan (SAP) and SAP implementation reports (pre-application)

We encourage you to provide a sediment sampling and analysis plan (SAP) before submitting a permit application. A SAP is specific to dredging, loading, and/or dumping applications.

There is no statutory requirement to submit a SAP. However, it provides the National Environmental Protection Agency (National EPA) and the applicant with greater certainty that:

the proposed sediment sampling design is sound
any sediment contamination can be adequately managed.

Once the National EPA agrees to your SAP, you will have greater certainty that:

your SAP implementation report (SAPIR) is based on the best possible methodology
your SAPIR provides support for the conclusions drawn in an application.

Applications should address matters in the National Assessment Guidelines for Dredging 2009 (NAGD) including:

the history of the area to be dredged
details of contaminants
rationale for the proposed sampling design
rationale for the proposed disposal site.

You may not need a SAP if sediment sampling has occurred in the past 5 years and the results still apply. Results may still apply if the dredged material and the disposal site are the same as before and will remain so for the life of the permit. We will discuss this requirement in a pre-application meeting.

Dredging may involve both clean and contaminated sediments. Sediments may be clean if they are dredged from areas remote from pollution sources. However, ports and harbours near urban or industrial areas may have sediments that are contaminated with:

chemicals
heavy metals
organic compounds.

Contaminated sediments require special attention. You can undertake initial sediment sampling and testing using a SAP. These results must be included in a permit application.

Dredge disposal sites

If you are considering a new disposal site in Australian waters, your proposed disposal site options must have:

minimal impacts to the marine environment
minimal interference with other marine uses and users
acceptable economic costs.

Your analysis and justification must be submitted with your permit application. Your analysis should include:

identification of candidate sites, including site feasibility and constraints mapping
characterisation of candidate sites, including physical, chemical, and biological characteristics
other uses in the local area
assessment of potential impacts
site management and monitoring plan.

Dredging guidelines

You should read the application form together with the National Assessment Guidelines for Dredging 2009.

This guidance provides procedures to follow for:

sampling
testing
evaluating alternatives to disposal at sea
assessing suitability of material for disposal at sea
evaluating and monitoring disposal sites.

If you use a specialist report to fulfil these requirements, you must:

attach the full report to the application form
provide brief answers within the application form
cross-reference the answers in the form to the relevant sections of the report.

Additional Guidance on Tributyltin

Tributyltin (TBT) is a toxic and persistent marine pollutant. It occurs in anti-fouling paint found on some older vessels and marine structures. As a result, TBT often concentrated in harbours, ports, and other dredging sites.

TBT behaves in a specific way in marine sediments. A decision tree and explanatory note was created to help you assess these sediments. Please use this rather than Figure 3 of the NAGD (page 12), when assessing TBT.

Decision tree and explanatory note for assessment of tributyltin (TBT) in dredge spoil (PDF 1.13 MB)
Decision tree and explanatory note for assessment of tributyltin (TBT) in dredge spoil (DOCX 393 KB)