Biomonitoring study of additional ORV facilities Fluxys, Port of Zeebrugge

General introduction

To what extent are there environmental effects from the discharge of cooling water and the use of chlorination on the epifauna of hard substrates and the macrobenthos of soft substrates in the port of Zeebrugge? The project MONITFLUXYS organizes a monitoring and scientific evaluation around this question. The ORV installation (open recirculation facility) at the dock of Fluxys LNG NV in Zeebrugge, Belgium, is currently being expanded from one to four units. The environmental impact of these additional facilities needs to be investigated.  

Research approach

We compare the previous situation at one ORV plant (as recorded in the 2013-2014 campaign - reporting in ILVO Communication 174) with the current situation with four plants. To evaluate the environmental impact on the port, we apply a before-after gradient (BAG) design. This design involves comparing data from before and after plant expansion, supplemented by additional control samples. In this way, we accurately identify potential changes in the epifauna and macrobenthos.

Relevance/Valorisation

This monitoring assignment plays a crucial role in the permit application and environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the discharge of cooling water and chlorination into the dock of Fluxys LNG NV. The permit application and EIA will be prepared by Arcadis, based on the monitoring data combined with environmental data collected by Eurofins.