Overview
- The coalition of fishing guilds, mussel farmers, and green groups, which filed objections Thursday, opposes the chosen offshore dump point known as Zone B and seeks changes to the plan and guarantees for losses.
- The Xunta and Portos de Galicia plan to dredge about 500,000 cubic meters from the Lérez to improve navigation and to dispose of the spoil in Zone B, a site inside a Natura network bird protection area about 2.93 kilometers from the Illas Atlánticas National Park.
- The project’s own assessment warns of a severe hit to shellfish banks in the ría de Pontevedra, with shellfishing to be halted during works and economic compensation deemed necessary for affected families.
- Opponents cite a fine particle share of about 15% and high organic matter that can carry pollutants and feed harmful algal blooms, and they question shallow sampling while flagging the LE 35 pit for suspected mercury that they want treated on land as hazardous waste.
- The Ministry for Ecological Transition has cleared the dump site as not significantly harmful, and with the plan now in public consultation authorities must weigh calls for deeper sampling, a different site or on‑land treatment, firm damage funds, and joint monitoring, a debate EL PAÍS frames around the Natura setting while local papers stress compensation and oversight.