Abstract
The Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm area is located approximately 4 miles off the North Wales coastline within Liverpool Bay between the coastal resort towns of Towyn and Rhôs-on-Sea. Construction on the 30 2MW wind turbine array is scheduled to begin during late summer 2006 and continue through to the following year. The development should enter its post-construction phase in 2008.
A grab sampling survey was undertaken during October 2005 by the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CMACS Ltd), during the pre-construction phase of the project, to provide information concerning the infaunal benthic populations and the sub-tidal sediment types in and around the development area as part of the 2005 baseline program (see Fig. 1 for site locations). Sites were selected so as to sample sediments within the Rhyl Flats development area representing different habitats, and up and down drift conditions. Site locations were also selected in the near-field area of the monopile foundations to determine scour effects and within the area affected by sediment transport and deposition. A collection of grab stations was also located along the proposed cable route and at several sites comparatively remote to the project area, both within and outside the tidal excursion. The latter were selected to assess far field affects and those outside the tidal excursion as controls.
These surveys will be repeated annually as part of the proposed monitoring required to comply with the conditions of the Food and Environmental Protection Act (FEPA) 1985: Part II (as amended) issued to ‘npower renewables offshore Ltd’ for the Rhyl Flats Offshore Wind Farm and dated the 5th February 2004. As wind farm construction is scheduled over the summer months, future monitoring will commence in September to coincide with the completion of construction.
This survey report details the preliminary observations made during the October 2005 survey and briefly describes the sub-tidal sediment types taken at grab stations in and around the Rhyl Flats development area. The presence of any large fauna and/or demersal fish species is also documented (see Figure. 1 for site locations).
These samples will be processed further in the laboratory and the data produced statistically analysed. These results will interpreted further and discussed in the forthcoming project monitoring report to be produced in 2006.