An agreement that will ensure £800,000 of European funding to assist in finding advanced ways to dredge the Broads was signed at the conference held in Rotterdam.
A project known as PRISMA (Promoting Integrated Sediment Management) was introduced by the representatives from the Broads Authority and their joined partners from the Netherlands and Belgium. The scope of the project is to examine new methods for removing sediment from the waterways as well as reusing it.
John Packman, Chief Executive of the Broads Authority , explained that the PRISMA project will cultivate experience sharing in terms of limiting sediment reaching the waterways and removing it. He also added that one of the main current obstacles to dredging the rivers and Broads is the lack of available sites to dispose of the sediment.
Trudi Wakelin, Director of Operations for the Authority , said that this investment will contribute to expanding the island constructed last year at Duck Broad by using material dredged from the channel leading into Hickling Broad.
“ We are also planning to dredge the River Bure between Salhouse and Wroxham Broad using the sediment to reinstate an eroded bank at the entrance to Salhouse Broad. And we will be able to build a new mud wherry to aid the dredging and transport works and support the rather old one we inherited from May Gurney .”
The other PRISMA European partners are Waterways and Seacanal in Belgium, Waterboard of Schieland and Krimpenerwaard in the Netherlands and Armines acting through Centre de Douai, France.
The project will run until 2014.
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Dredging Today Staff, December 9, 2011