Feds Decide Against Dredged Sand On NC island

The National Park Service has backed off its proposal to use dredged sand to fight erosion on North Carolina’s Shackleford Banks, pleasing both environmentalists, who want to maintain the barrier island’s pristine condition, and local beach town officials, who want the sand for their shores.

Liberia’s Poor and the Rising Sea

A report on the threat to the environment in Liberia released by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) states that erosion in this West African country is causing the shoreline to recede in some cities, including Buchanan, Greenville, Harper and Robertsport, and that beach sand mining is also said to be the main contributing factor.

Taranaki Seabed Mining Application Declined

An application to mine ironsands off the south Taranaki coast has been declined. In today’s decision, the New Zealand Environmental Protection Agency said the major reason for refusing consent was the uncertainty around the scope and significance of potential environmental effects.

Sand Mafia Behind Sudden Release Of Water?

Environmental activists believe that dam officials are bribed by a sand mafia to open the gates at one go instead of releasing the water slowly, as is being done in other dams. The fast discharge of a huge volume of water leads to large amount of sand getting settled on riverbeds, which dry up fast.

A Tracking System To Check Illegal Mining, Maharashtra, India

Even though stringent laws are in place to curb illegal sand mining, they are frequently violated. Pune division will soon emulate the Solapur model of barcoding system that aims to check illegal sand mining. The authorities will issue a barcoded slip to the driver ferrying sand and track the vehicle from the loading spot to the delivery point.

Aragonite worth billions is being mined in the Bahamas

Across the inky-blue Gulf Stream from Florida, near the sheer edge of the Great Bahama Bank, a new island is emerging from the sea. Although it bears the appealing name Ocean Cay, this new island is not… Ocean Cay does not need allure. It is being dredged up from the seabed by the Dillingham Corporation of Hawaii for an explicit purpose that will surely repel more tourists than it will attract.