Elsa (project)

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The timeline of the various depressions in the Elbe
Maintenance dredging on the Lower Elbe
Alexander von Humboldt suction dredger during dredging work in the port of Hamburg

The ELSA project ( "Schadstoffsanierung Elbsedimente") is a project of the Department of Environment and Energy in Hamburg . It informs about the pollutant situation of the Elbe and initiates and accompanies measures for improvement.

goal of the project

The aim of the project "ELSA" is to measures to improve the pollution situation of the same act and in particular the Elbsedimente to initiate. The ELSA project also provides information on the causes and consequences of pollution in the Elbe, particularly with regard to suspended matter and sediments . Another aim of the project is to propose measures to improve the sediment and pollutant situation on the Elbe and in the port of Hamburg , to provide technical support and, if necessary, to provide financial support. It is also planned to accompany the intended deepening of the tidal Elbe , the sea ​​waterway from the port of Hamburg to the North Sea , which has been expanded for shipping since 1900 .

problem

The sediments deposited by the flood on the bed of the Elbe and in the port basin ensure that the large cruise ships , bulk carriers and container ships do not always reach the port in the planned time. In addition, it happened that they could not dock at the designated terminals. If the water depth is too shallow, they would hit the bottom. So could z. For example, the Queen Mary 2 did not moor at the Hafencity berth and large ore freighters could not always deliver their cargo to the terminal in the ore port of Hansaport due to insufficient water depth. The amount of sand and silt, which increases annually with the deepening of the Elbe, has to be dredged from the fairway and the port basin.

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), a company of the City of Hamburg, is responsible for ensuring sufficient water depths in the port. She tries to eliminate the growing problem with chartered suction dredgers . Most of the dredged material on the Elbe island Neßsand is dumped back into the Elbe, creating a silt cycle when the next water comes up.

background

The transport of pollutants linked to sand and suspended matter, a legacy of the past, is responsible for the fact that the dredged material from the tidal Elbe can only be dumped into the North Sea to a limited extent. Because the pollutants from the Elbe contribute to the pollution of the North Sea and make it difficult to take measures to protect the marine environment.

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