Dredging Pwllheli Marina

by Sensation Staff
08 / 02 / 2010

DREDGING OF PWLLHELI MARINA

There have been calls for some time now to dredge the Harbour at Pwllheli following a number of campaigns. We are pleased to report that the work has finally begun. Last year over 60 sailors were driven away from keeping their boats berthed in Pwllheli. The facilities for sailing in the area are amongst the best in Europe and year on year Pwllheli plays host to events on an international scale, which is why concern has been wide spread that if the level of the facilities drops, so will the interest from the international sailing community. Mike Parry, chairman of the harbour consulative event went as far as to say “It’s very worrying and dangerous but doesn’t seem to be a priority for Gwynedd Council. Without maintenance, the future looks bleak for the harbour. Since last year, 60 sailors have not renewed their membership after facilities have diminished, while rates have increased horrifically by nearly 25%. We had to go through over half of the waiting list to refill those spaces in April. This is a threat to livelihoods.” The Marina is one of the towns prime resources and Pwllheli Major even went on record saying " the marins is silting up dangerously and we could have an accident here."
Sailing fans and protestors no longer have to worry as work began on 8th February 2010 to remove the problem silt.
The initial work involves removing thousands of tonnes of waste silt and sand, which will be emptied from a lagoon next to Pwllheli harbour. The lagoon is full to capacity and the waste material must be removed to make room for more waste which will be dredged from the harbour in the council-owned Hafan marina. The dredging will ensure the depth of water in the marina and the approach channel to the harbour will be at an acceptable level for boats and yachts to get in and out without any problems. Barry Davies, Gwynedd Council Maritime and Country Parks Officer said: “This work will ensure that the design depth of the marina basin is acceptable." The material removed from the stilling lagoon will be temporarily stored on adjacent land, and will be removed and disposed of before the end of February. At present, it is anticipated that the 15,000 cubic metres of material from the stilling lagoon will be taken to Ffridd Rasus near Harlech and used as a restoration layer to landscape old tip areas. The material has been extensively tested for all contaminants and the results indicate that the material poses no threat to health. They have estimated that 3,600 lorry loads will be carted from Pwllheli to Ffridd Rasus in Harlech. The waste must be taken by road as it cannot be dumped out at sea or removed by barge. We will keep you posted about the work and how it is getting on.