The beneficial placement project to recharge areas of Mersea Harbour, using dredged materials from Harwich Haven Authority’s £120 million channel deepening initiative, has been completed successfully.
The recharge work was carried out on behalf of Harwich Harbour Authority by a joint venture of Royal Boskalis Westminster and Van Oord.
Mersea’s Harbour has been under severe threat from the rise in sea levels and storm wave action. It is protected by islands that have been washing away for many years due, increasingly so in recent years.
The Save Mersea Harbour project, led by the Mersea Harbour Protection Trust, a group of local volunteers, began back in 2014.
After 4 years effort to meet stringent marine, environmental, ecological and legal requirements they received approvals to place 98,000 m3 of dredged sand and gravel from Harwich Harbour to ‘recharge’ locations on Cobmarsh , Packing Marsh and Old Hall Point in Mersea Quarters as well as at Shinglehead Point at Tollesbury Wick.
The recharged materials will reinforce the islands to slow down the erosion ensuring the harbour can remain active and usable for many years to come. It will ensure that important wildlife sites and oyster beds are protected and waterfront properties and businesses will no longer come under threat from increasing storm wave action.
Harwich Haven Authority funded much of the recharge project, in excess of £1.2M. The Environment Agency contributed almost £300k towards the recharge costs as well as funding essential pre and post recharge monitoring.