Environmental Compatibilityback to Compensation
Negative impact had to be avoided or compansated for
The construction and operation of CT 4 influence the environment, affecting many different areas. As the authority responsible for design and location approval, the North-West Directorate of Waterways and Shipping (WSD) in Aurich held a scoping meeting with a panel of experts to ensure the investigation of all possible consequences of the project for humans, flora and fauna.
The bremenports planning engineers have to be thoroughly familiar with this field, which involves examining, describing and evaluating the anticipated effects of terminal construction and operation. If negative environmental impact cannot be avoided, it has to be reduced or compensated for - as prescribed in the German law on Environmental Impact Assessments.
As soon as construction work begins, the machinery generates noise and the pollutants emitted by the vehicles on the building site already impinge on the surrounding area. The Lower Saxony Mudflats national park located to the north of the new terminal area is also affected by the work.
Once operation has begun, the neighbouring residential areas will also be affected by the noise and light emanating from the terminal. In addition, there will be air-borne pollutants, for instance as a result of container handling. And finally, the face of the environment will also change - with containers and cranes where there used to be mudflats.
These and other effects on the environment play a central role for the work of the port planning engineers. From a very early stage, they have to consider whether negative impact can be avoided or, if not, how it can be compensated for. Failure to come up with acceptable compensation solutions could jeopardise planning permission for a construction project such as CT 4.
Diverse technical rules, statutory regulations and legislation set the framework. Take, for example, passive noise protection: before the planners consider whether the houses in the adjacent districts should be given new soundproof windows, they first have to examine whether it is possible to reduce the noise level of the technical equipment at the terminal. Or take the question of light at the terminal: the lamps which illuminate the terminal site have to be non-glare and must not attract insects. Or again, take the groundwater: in the event of an accident involving hazardous substances, the groundwater - just like the Weser - must be at no risk of contamination.
One thing is sure: every conceivable effect of CT 4 will be carefully scrutinised. These aspects are all taken into account in evaluation of the application documents for design and location approval.
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