According to The Conversation, excessive siltation in Tasmania’s Tamar River has been directly linked to human-induced changes in the tidal system and will not be cleared by dredging alone.
Researchers from Monash University have attributed the silt build-up to the human alteration of wetlands for housing development, architecture and hydroelectric production.
Siltation has been a problem for the region for over 200 years and the study shows dredging won’t be enough to solve it.
“The study has enabled us to identify that water is the major issue in the degraded estuary, not silt. We need to increase tidal and river flushing to rehabilitate the system, ” said Professor Jenny Davis .
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Dredging Today Staff, May 28, 2012;