Description (EN): Waterways in the 2 Seas area provide us with the basis for social and economic activities, but at the same time, they face environmental threats. The PRISMA (Promoting Integrated Sediment Management) project aims to develop improved methods for the processing, treatment and reuse of sediment in estuaries and coastal waterways from dredging to recycling.
The partnership consists of waterway managers and experts in Flanders, the UK, the Netherlands and researchers from France. The aims of PRISMA are:
- to develop new dredging methods.
- to share and improve methods for the processing and/or treatment of sediment and dredging.
- to find new methods of recycling and reusing sediment in varying applications such as dykes, riverbanks, roads and agriculture.
- to communicate with stakeholders – people and business – in order to increase participation and involvement in issues concerning waterways.
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Expected Results (EN): What are the key results of the project?
Reports and Studies
- an overview of all techniques in the field of dredging & dewatering with regard to environment, quality and quantity, costs and benefits, applicability in various areas (report)
- an overview and description of adapted dredging & dewatering methods & techniques, tested in The Broads and by Armines
- description of new treatment methods & techniques, tested in The Broads, at WenZ and by HHSK, incl. evaluation report,
- evaluation report of the effects and benefits of the reuse of sediments in habitat creation, dikes and banks, roads and site preparation of land
- Reports of spoil treatment methods and an economic valuation of new methods
- Reports of workshops, peer review meetings,
- Comparison between the interpretation of dredging regulations and reuse in 4 different countries and recommendations to achieve consistency and harmonisation at European level
Pilots and testing
- designs, development & technical elaboration of new mobile laboratory for testing on-site examination of the quality of dredge spoil
- newly designed dyke embankment using geotextile bags filled with dredge spoil, execution, monitoring & evaluation of such a dyke, incl. evaluation report
- construction of a section of road by means of treated dredge spoil, incl. testing & evaluating
New models and techniques
- decision-making model developed and tested at various locations on possibilities for treatment and reuse of dredge spoil
- Adapted techniques and installations towards dewatering of dredged sediments
- Adapted and tested methods of stabilizing sediments by treatment and using geotextile bags
- describing & assessing new techniques for the reuse of dredge spoil in the construction of islands for new habitat creation, adapting farmland & river defences in The Broads
- Description of the possibilities of reusing dredging spoil for site preparation
Are all partners and territories benefitting from the results?
Target groups which will experience a direct, positive effect at objective level include; waterway management organisations, municipalities, local and regional authorities participating in the project as well as knowledge and research institutes such as Ecole des Mines and finally legislative and regulatory authorities.
All of the above will benefit directly from the activities carried out and investments made because waterways will become more clean and accessible with lower costs, improved ecological quality, a decrease of dredging sediment to be dumped and more public-private co-operation in the re-use of sediments.
What are the effects / outcomes for the territories involved?
In the last decades, people became more aware of the neccesity to take care of the environment and the natural resources. Prisma aims for more sustainable dredging processes and sediment management in partner regions/countries and from there on for other European countries. The project will contribute to a better knowledge of the possibilities (geotechnical constraints) of reuse of dredged material by reviewing and comparing the legislation that influences steps in the dredging process and discovering differences and opportunities or barriers they include to reuse dredged material in an economic and acceptable way. The project will formulate recommandations to adapt legislation and to create a general framework for standards. The project will further encourage the creation of social support for reuse of dredged material, whilst it is indeed a waste product if handeld with care it can be used not to harm the environment or people
The effect will be a better understanding by residents about usefulness and necessity of sustainable dredging methods and reuse of sediments and through pilots and testing there will be improved localised water quality and the legacy of adapted equipment which can be reused in future works.
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