Dredge spoil dumping near Great Barrier Reef approved

Far northern section of the Great Barrier Reef (Credit: NASA)

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has approved plans that will allow for the dumping of dredged sediment near the Great Barrier Reef, according to Reuters. The sediment will come from the expansion of a coal port.

While the port expansion could provide economic benefits, some say $28 billion in impact, environmentalists fear the muddy material could harm delicate corals and sea grasses in the reef. The area is already under stress from warmer and more acidic oceans.

The Great Barrier reef is a World Heritage Site. If all the dredged material were stacked, opponents say it would set a structure taller than the Pyramid of Giza at its center.

Image: Far northern section of the Great Barrier Reef (Credit: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons)