The Bystroe Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta

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The Bystroe Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta Nikolai Berlinsky 1 and Davide A.L. Vignati 2 1) Odessa State Environmental University , Odessa, Ukraine 2) Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Brugherio (MB), Italy curriculum in natural environmental science, vol. 2, 2010 NEAR

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The Bystroe Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta Nikolai Berlinsky 1 and Davide A.L. Vignati 2 1) Odessa State Environmental University , Odessa, Ukraine 2) Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Brugherio (MB), Italy. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of The Bystroe Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta

Page 1: The  Bystroe  Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta

The Bystroe Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta

Nikolai Berlinsky1 and Davide A.L. Vignati2

1) Odessa State Environmental University , Odessa, Ukraine

2) Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Brugherio (MB), Italy

curriculum in natural environmental science, vol. 2, 2010NEAR

Page 2: The  Bystroe  Deep-Water Shipping Way (DWSW) in the Danube Delta

Historical background of the Bystroe DWSW

For approx. ten years, there were strong discussions about the better alternative for a DWSW in the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta. Ukrainian specialists, Western experts, NGOs, mass media etc. were involved in the process.

The best option should combine economic advisability, ease of organization, maintenance and use of the DWSW and minimum of anthropogenic impacts on the environment.

The Bystroe DWSW was selected among a range of possible alternatives.

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Main environmental issues

• All possible alternatives of a shipping way in the Ukrainian Danube Delta cross the area of the Danube Biosphere Reserve.

• All kinds of alternatives need dredging works in the adjacent coastal area – precisely at the river mouth sediment bar and its neighbouring zone, in order to maintain the requested navigation depths.

• The environmental impacts of dredging the shipping way are, at least partly, of transboundary nature and raise international controversies.

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Danube Biosphere Reserve (Ukrainian part)

Reserve zone

Zone of management

Buffer zone

Zone of anthropogenic landscape

UNESCO Strictly protected zones

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Alternatives for a Deep Water Shipping Way Alternatives for a Deep Water Shipping Way

Black Sea – DanubeBlack Sea – Danube 1. Danube – liman Sasik. Danube – liman Sasik2. by engineer Chekhovich 2. by engineer Chekhovich

(1904)(1904)3. Solomonov arm – 3. Solomonov arm –

Zhebriyany bayZhebriyany bay4. 4. Prorva armProrva arm5. Connecting canal 5. Connecting canal 6.Ochakov arm – port of 6.Ochakov arm – port of

Ust-DunayskUst-Dunaysk7. Bystroe arm 7. Bystroe arm 8. Tsiganka arm8. Tsiganka arm9. Starostambulsky arm9. Starostambulsky arm

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1. The Danube – liman SasykImprovement of canal built inthe 80s between the Danube andSasik liman.

Problems:- Dredging to increase depth

from 3 to 8.5 m (huge works)- Jetty reconstruction between

the sea and liman - huge bridge to guarantee

connection between Vilkovo town and mainland

- Water discharge redistribution

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2. Alternative of engineer P.S. Chekhovich

The project was conceived byengineer P.S. Chekhovich in1904.

Problems:- New artificial canal- Similar issues as for

alternative 1 (dredging, bridge, water redistribution)

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3. Solomonov branch – Zhebriany bay

Project proposed by engineer V.P.Zizak in 2000.

Problems: - New artificial canal- Similar issues as for alternative

1 (dredging, bridge, water redistribution)

Comparative advantages withrespect to 1 and 2:- water discharge redistribution

less important

Adrian Stanica
Not referenced anywhere
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Alternatives 1 to 3: summary of problems

• Construction of artificial canals.

• Building of a new port with railway connection in Zhebriany bay and of a bridge to keep the town of Vilkovo connected to mainland.

• Redistribution of water runoff (with decreasing in the lower Chilia delta.

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Other issues with alternatives 1 to 3

Shallow water in Zhebriany

Bay:

- Need for a long marine canal (more dredging)

- Higher risk of silting of the canal (also more dredging)

- More dredging makes exploitation economically less attractive

Marine canalNew port

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Other issues with alternatives 1 to 3

• Penetration of a saline wedge into the (new) artificial canals:– surplus of water in the artificial canals re-directed to

wetlands,

– altered hydrological and hydrochemical balance in the wetlands and subsequent degradation.

• Increased freshwater input to Zhebriany bay:– Zhebriany bay is a place for sturgeon’s feeding,

– changing of salinity regime degrades its quality as a forage zone for the sturgeon.

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Alternatives 4 to 6. Ochakovsky system

- These alternatives imply works in the strict protection zone of the biosphere reserve

- The Ochakovsky system is a“dying off” system fromgeological and hydrologicalpoint of view.

- Works cause dischargeredistribution betweenOchakovsky andStarostambulsky.

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Trend in water discharge (Ochakovsky system)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Ochakovsky Belgorodsky Ankudinov Poludenny

Prorva Potapovsky Gneushevv

Connektive canal

Q%

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Alternatives 7 to 9. Starostambulsky system

- Alternative 8 (Tsyganka branch) passes through the second Strict Protection UNESCO zone in the Biosphere Reserve.

- More than 90% “Redbook”birds habitat is in this part ofdelta.

- Alternative 9(Starostambulsky branch) also passes through the UNESCO Strict Protection zone.

Tsiganka arm

Starostambulsky arm

Bystroe arm

UNESCO zone

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Alternatives 7 and 8. Dumping problems.

- Use riverine and marine dumping for dredged bottom sediments.

- General direction of sea currents in this area is from North to the South.

- Strong likelihood of transboundary effect of dredging and dumping activities:

– Operation of Sulina canal

– Siltation of Musura Bay

Dumping

Canal

Starostambulsky arm

UNESCO zone

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Alternative 7. Bystroe arm

- natural canal.

- natural depth of 12 – 14 m.

- 3 km long bar zone to be dredged at the Bystroe mouth.

- Construction of a protection jetty at the canal entrance.

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Trends in water discharge (Starostambulsky system)

0 5

10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Starostanbulsky 18 km Bystryy Starostambulsy (lower Bystryy) Vostochnyy Starostambulsy (lower Limba island) Tsiganka

Q%

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Conclusions

- All shipping ways in Ukrainian Danube delta cross the Biosphere reserve.

- The Bystroe channel was the alternative requiring less dredging (but major flood can rapidly replenish dredged volumes)

- The construction of a protection jetty represents another factor whose effects should be followed in the future.