ABSTRACT
Obviously, selecting monitoring variables, which are either extremely difficult, irrelevant, uncertain and/or extremely costly to monitor is not useful.
A clear and predictable connection should exist between observed effects and the impact caused by the dredging activities. Environmental parameters are not constant but vary considerably in time and space, depending on many other natural as well as human-induced factors other than dredging activities. The effect on a specific parameter caused by dredging must be included in numerical model tools so that impact can be forecast. The selected parameters should have response times that are in the same order of time scale as the time frame of the dredging project. Imposing limitations on a parameter for which the contractor is responsible, where the measurable impact can be seen only years after the dredging contractor has handed over the project to the owner is not good practice. Still, authorities can have legitimate and sensible requirements for monitoring parameters that will have long response times. In such cases, responsibility for such parameters should then be placed at the strategic level or at least at the tactical level.
