Bay plume gets grim report

The plume of sediment filtering across Port Phillip Bay during dredging is much larger than official estimates, says a self-appointed watchdog.

The first report by the BayMonitor says the plume is a potential threat to marine life in the bay.

The Australian Conservation Foundation working with scientists concerned about the impact of dredging - argues that the Port of Melbourne is failing to adequately test the plume caused by deepening Melbourne’s shipping channels. Using analysis of satellite images and water quality tests, it says the plume from the north of the bay spreads up to 20 kilometres south - further than predicted in last year’s report.