Bilbao''s port authority plans to extract 10 million cubic meters of sand at La Arena beach in Muskiz (Biscay) to accommodate a port extension. Europe''s largest dune, the Great Dune of Pyla, (105m high, 2700m long and 500m wide), is composed of 60 million cubic meters of sand. The plans have created controversy among environmental advocates.

Project and impact assessment review

On March 1st, 2005, an order from the Secretary General for Pollution Prevention and Climate Change (Spanish Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs), published in the Official Journal on April 18, 2005, gave Bilbao''s port authority permission to proceed with sand dredging in the Muzkiz area. On December 19, 2009, the first phase of the project was initiated.

The project, registered in 1998, is part of the third port enlargement phase, started in 2008, will increase the surface area of Bilbao''s port by 528, 000 square meters. Sand dredging in the area of La Arena beach will realize a gain of 293, 000 square meters on the sea. The dredging zone is the 208 hectare sand bank of Muskiz located between 1.3 km and 3.3 km north west of the coast. Bathymetric (sea floor topography) mapping of the dredging zone shows depth ranges from 19 to 38 meters.

In accordance with the law, the Dirección General de Costas submitted outcomes from a public enquiry and qualified consultants reports to the Direction Générale de Qualité et d''Evaluation Environnementale (Agency for Environmental Quality and Assessment). During the consultation process, it became apparent that a number of environmental organizations and local governments, such as "Demarcación de Costas", "Viceconsejería de Medio Ambiente", or "Dirección de Aguas" of the Basque Government, expressed concerns regarding the project.

Amongst these concerns is the potential destabilization of La Arena beach, for which the "Demarcación de Costas" published a report recommending that the extraction depth be limited to less than 25 meters. Visual assessment of the beach over the past few months confirms morphological changes to the beach; significant quantities of sand have disappeared.

In addition, the "Dirección de Aguas" point out that the project contravenes the « Ley de costa », and that project impacts to the La Arena beach that include potential health effects and environmental impacts due to re-suspension of contaminated sediments be considered.

In spite of reluctance from several local authorities, the Secretary General for Pollution Prevention and Climate Change (Spanish Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs) has decided that the project does not present significant risks to the environment.

Stakeholder groups and Keepers of the Coast

In reaction to initial dredging activities in December 2009, an umbrella organization of stakeholders was created to oppose the project. These stakeholders, comprised of surfers, bathers, professionals and concerned citizens, is named « Salvemos -LA ARENA- SALBA DEZAGUN ». Starting in early 2010, observations of the beach confirm the disappearance of sand and, in concert with a review of official documents (impact assessment and outcomes from public consultation), have motivated stakeholders to organize and engage with the public through a range of activities. These activities include deposition of official complaints to the relevant authorities.

In this context, with concerns that project impacts (especially with regards to sediment fluxes) have not been adequately considered, Surfrider Foundation Europe, via its Keepers of the Coast program, has joined the stakeholder organization and is acting as communications liaison for the group. A study, undertaken after project initiation by Professor Alejandro Cearreta (« Reflexiones desde un punto de vista geológico sobre el proyecto de extracción de arenas en la zona de Muzkiz » February, 2010) from the faculty of the Basque Country (UPV), revealed that the studies undertaken prior to the project were incomplete and were based on inadequate data.

At this time, the key priority for the stakeholders is to halt the dredging before it enters the second phase (current estimates are that two million cubic meters of sand were extracted during the first phase, between December 2009 and March 2010). Unfortunately, with the closing of the summer holiday season, concerns are mounting. In fact, it appears that the date for the resumption of dredging activities, slated for November 15, 2010, was set to allow time for studies to determine the remaining volume of sand available for dredging.

Faced with this new deadline, the stakeholder group « Salvemos -LA ARENA- SALBA DEZAGUN » will be holding a forum October 16 at the « Arenal Bilbaino ». While previous meetings were held on the beach of La Arena, the location for this event is intended to send a signal to the public that the dredging, and subsequent loss of the La Arena beach, will also affect many people’s right to the enjoyment of the beach and the ocean.