As reported in late October, contractor Boskalis Westminster has finished the rock armoring of the new Cowes Breakwater.
The removal of surplus gravel material to the north of the breakwater has been delayed due to the requirement for contractor to obtain a new MMO (Marine Management Organisation) consent for its removal and disposal.
According to the Cowes Harbor Commission (CHC) latest report, the process of obtaining the MMO consent is likely to take around eight weeks.
The new harbor tidal model, commissioned by CHC from ABPmer, will now be utilized for a wide range of model runs to optimize the next phases of planned harbor infrastructure, the Shrape breakwater extension and dredging of the new Eastern Channel.
Initial sedimentation surveys (bed material grab sampling, water sampling, and turbidity monitoring) have now been carried out to provide further data to assist an improved understanding of the Cowes Harbor baseline sedimentation budget.
Following analysis of the materials, the results will then be used in the sedimentation model for Cowes Harbor, at present under construction by ABPmer. The information will also facilitate the development of an independent, conceptual understanding of the Medina Estuary’s evolution and hydrodynamics.
The data will provide new baseline information for the interim and long-term sedimentation and bathymetric monitoring, and assist with the development of the proposed new sustainable dredging management plan for Cowes Harbor and the Medina Estuary.
Meanwhile, Shoreline Surveys has been appointed to carry out a full multi-beam survey of the whole harbor area that will include all marinas and third-party owned areas where permission has been granted.
This new multi-beam survey will provide a greater degree of accuracy for assessing rates of sedimentation and erosion between surveys, and will be used as the new post-breakwater construction baseline bathymetric survey for the whole Medina Estuary.