The final phase of dredging to remove silt from Peel Marina will take place this Saturday, 30 May 2015.
Work is scheduled to start at 07:30am, although no lorries will depart the quayside before 08:00am. Road sweepers will be deployed throughout the day.
Dredging, which started in April, has successfully restored the depth of water around the pontoons in Peel to the correct level. If urgent action had not been taken the marina would have lost many more berths, resulting in significant harm to the local and national economy.
Following the completion of the current scheme, the Department will follow a programme of regular dredging and maintenance. Investigations are also continuing with the aim of finding a permanent solution for the storage of the river sediment.
A site at Rockmount near to Poortown Quarry is being used as a temporary storage facility, with a series of engineering measures put in place to control any potential risk to the environment. The Department of Infrastructure has also entered into a covenant with German Parish Commissioners to restrict use of the site as a silt store to no longer than five years.
Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne MHK said: ‘We are working towards identifying a landfill site that can be licensed to accept material of this nature on a permanent basis. In the meantime, a Joint Monitoring Committee will be established to assess the temporary store at Rockmount to ensure it is performing well. We will dredge the marina on a more frequent basis in future to keep on top of the sediment that washes down the River Neb each year. Small amounts of silt can be deposited at sea and this is what we shall be doing from next year.’
He added: ‘I recognise the concerns that have been raised during the course of this scheme, but I believe that the correct approach was taken given the circumstances. The work itself has progressed extremely well and is finishing on schedule. The immediate problem has been sorted out and I’d like to thank all those who have worked hard to get the job done. I am particularly grateful to the people of Peel and German for the understanding and patience they have shown during the works.’
