Methodology for the environmental impact assessment of the deepening works in the Argentina's Santa Fe - Ocean waterway
Type:
Presented during:
CEDA Dredging Days 2005 - Dredging: The Extremes, Rotterdam
Authors:
C. L. Daniele
Abstract: This paper presents a synthesis of the methodology employed in the 2001 environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the deepening of the navigable waterway that connects the port of Santa Fe with the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná and the Río de la Plata rivers, in Argentina. In the area of influence of the waterway are found some of Argentina's most economically important and densely populated cities and ports, such as Buenos Aires and Rosario. In 2001 the volume of agricultural exports transported along this navigable waterway reached a total of 38 000 000 tons and the number of containers exceeded 1 200 000 TEU.
Measured from Santa Fe to the area of natural deep waters in the outer area of the Río de la Plata, the length of the Santa Fe - Atlantic Ocean navigable waterway is more than 750 km. The volumes of water running through the Paraná and Río de la Plata (in the period 1970-2000) were 18.700 m3/s and 23.800 m3/s respectively. Such an important and long navigable waterway requires the permanent dredging of the large volumes of sediments, which are the distinctive characteristics of this study. The additional volumes of dredged sediments for the proposed deepening intervention evaluated in 2001 (32 and 22 feet operation) were 40,000,000 m3 for the capital opening dredging and 18,000,000 m3 for the annual maintenance volume.
In this assessment, both the natural and the man-made aspects were taken given equal consideration. This paper presents all the indicators used in the analysis.
Keywords: EIA, inland waterway, environment, Argentina