This finding agrees with previous investigations in the waterway. These sediments could therefore be expected to adversely affect marine benthic communities. Noteworthy exceptions are lead and zinc levels at Terminal 7, Berth B, which appear to be decreasing over time. Arsenic and zinc at the head, and zinc at the mouth of the waterway are the only metals which showed any indications of increasing levels. The observed trends in Sitcum Waterway contaminant levels should be viewed with caution, since they are based on a limited amount of data and a portion of the SPM collected by the sediment traps is probably resuspended bottom sediments.
Current velocities are generally low in the waterway even during periods of high tidal exchange.
However, ship traffic and associated tugboat activity could have a substantial short-term impact on currents in a localized area. Copy must be made from archive version.