Marine transport infrastructure development in Moreton Bay: Dredging, monitoring and future directions

Abstract

Marine infrastructure development throughout southeast Queensland is fast-paced, with the ongoing expansion of our major ports and harbours, airports and road infrastructure. Our cities and regional centres continue to expand along the Queensland coastline and into the marine environment through dredging and land reclamation. These activities are managed from an environmental protection perspective at the local, State and Commonwealth government levels. Here we examine the maintenance and capital dredging works undertaken by the Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL), Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) and Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), which are necessary for maintaining ports and marina infrastructure, roads and runways. A variety of methods has been adopted over the past few decades for managing potential marine environmental impacts from these dredging activities. This chapter explores the different monitoring tools implemented by the PBPL, DTMR and BAC for managing potential impacts from port and harbour maintenance, capital works programs and operational activities. We consider the regulatory environment and how this influences port and harbour works, road and airport infrastructure development within the Bay. We also explore new technology and approaches to monitoring and the areas of future research and investigation to help contribute towards a sustainable future for Moreton Bay.