Isle of Man: Peel Marina Silt to Help Restore Uplands

Silt removed from Peel Marina will be used to help restore uplands left damaged following 19th century mining activity, Isle of Man Government informs. 

Details of the innovative solution were released earlier this week, following the submission of a planning application to allow dredged material to be temporarily stored and drained in an engineered and lined pool on the outskirts of the town.

If dredging does not take place, accumulation of the silt threatens the closure of a number of berths within the marina, which was last dredged in 2015, the government stated.

The project to remove 44,000 tonnes of silt is due to begin next year and will take place in distinct stages.

The first stage will involve a proportion of the material being removed from the marina bed by excavator and transported a short distance by road to the temporary pool constructed in a field upstream, beyond the Power Station site.

The majority of the material will then be pumped along a pipeline back up the River Neb to the pool, which will be around 2.5 meters deep and will measure roughly 70m by 100m. This process will take place in the spring of 2019 and 2020, in order to avoid migrating fish.

The second stage of the project will see the material being temporarily stored in the pool for up 18 months. Excess water will be pumped back to the Marina after satisfying environmental standards agreed with the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture (DEFA).

The third and final stage of the project will see the dried sediment used to restore contaminated and eroded land next to the former Cross Vein Mine, off the Roundtable Road, near Foxdale.

According to the government, the sediment from the Marina is significantly less contaminated than the dust found at Cross Vein Mine and DEFA specialists are confident that the material will help reinstate the damaged land as an attractive upland habitat.