Useless Loop dredging plan on the table

 Shark Bay Resources is proposing to undertake maintenance and capital dredging of up to 100,000 cubic metres from berth pocket and entrance channel of the Port of Useless Loop to restore navigable depths.

The proponent operates two solar salt fields and an associated port facility at Useless Loop in the Shark Bay area of Western Australia.

The site is located approximately 25 kilometres west southwest of Denham.

The berth pocket dredge area is surrounded by, but excised from, the Shark Bay World Heritage Area (SBWHA) and Shark Bay Marine Park (SBMP).

“The entrance channel dredge area falls within both the SBWHA and SBMP. The offshore disposal area is on an area of bare sand within the SBWHA but outside of the SBMP boundary,” the Western Australia EPA said.

The development envelope, including the dredge footprint and disposal area, is approximately 81 hectares.

The proposal could impact on the environmental factors of benthic communities and habitats, marine environmental quality, marine fauna and social surroundings, said EPA.