Sediment quality assessment and dredged material management in Spain: Part I, application of sediment quality guidelines in the bay of Santander

Abstract

Sediments are an essential component of aquatic ecosystems that must be assessed and managed properly. The use of quantitative environmental quality standards derived from consideration of sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) can be effective as part of a tiered risk assessment approach. In Part I of this 2-part paper addressing sediment quality assessment and dredged material management in Spain, different SQG methods are used to evaluate sediment quality in the Bay of Santander, located in the Cantabric Sea along the northern coast of Spain, and to guide development of empirically derived SQGs for marine sediments. The results of the study indicate a great heterogeneity of SQGs, both with regard to the numeric values for a particular chemical and the number of substances for which SQGs have been derived. The analysis highlights the scarce development of empirical SQGs for priority substances identified in current European Union water policy. Nonetheless, the application of SQGs makes it possible to classify different zones of sediment quality in the Bay of Santander. Part II of this 2-part paper considers the environmental impacts of dredged material disposal. Legislation and criteria used to regulate dredged material disposal at sea in different European countries are reviewed, and action levels derived by different countries were used to evaluate management of dredged sediments from Cádiz Bay, located on the South Atlantic coast of Spain.

Dredges' management: Comparison of regulatory frameworks, legal gaps and recommendations

“…the Dumping Protocol of Barcelona Convention (Carette, 2011). For instance, Spain covers the lack of relative legal framework by using criteria and deriving action levels about disposal of the dredged material at sea from other European countries (Alvarez-Guerra et al, 2007). In Greece, no mandatory plan with specific requirements exists related to dredged material operations and, as a result, misunderstandings combined with lack of institutionalized strategies remain an intractable problem (Velegrakis et al, 2015).…”

A chemical status predictor. A methodology based on World-Wide sediment samples

“…The SQGs were developed to deal with many environmental concerns and in response to regulatory programs, such as that of the USEPA (EPA, 1998). Different SQGs have been derived with a variety of empirical methods that rely upon the biological effects ( Alvarez-Guerra et al, 2007). The ERLs (Effect Range-Low) were finally selected as the reference to calculate the WWTVs.…”

Risk assessment of trace elements in sediments: The case of the estuary of the Nerbioi–Ibaizabal River (Basque Country)

“…ERMq factors allow us to easily compare with other areas or different historical episodes, facilitate decision maker's work in sediment quality assessment, and have frequently been used in these kinds of works [15,50]. They can be used to describe the sediment as non-toxic (ERMq < 0.1), slightly toxic (0.1 < ERMq < 0.5), moderately toxic (0.5 < ERMq < 1.5) and highly toxic (ERMq > 1.5).…”