Setting up a hydrophone, Haliotis2 listens to the Mediterranean!
27 May 2024As part of the work to renovate and modernise the Haliotis 2 wastewater treatment plant, a hydrophone was installed at sea around 100 metres from the shore and at a depth of 13 meters.
The aim of this marine acoustic monitoring is to be able to monitor and manage the noise level from the works and perceived in the marine environment so as not to exceed the permitted limits and thus not disturb any marine mammals that may be present in the vicinity of the site.
This hydrophone is connected to a listening station installed on site. This station is responsible for continuously translating the soundscape captured by the hydrophone into information that can be accessed via a dedicated professional application. This station is also responsible for continuous transmission and monitoring, an alert in the event of excessive noise emission from the construction site, an alert in the event of the presence of cetaceans near the construction site (to assess the need for any measures to protect them) and, finally, the data collected will be used to draw up an annual report on the measurements, alarms and associated actions.
The deployment of the acoustic cable would not have been possible without the invaluable help of the wastewater treatment plant’s maintenance team. The next inspection visit is scheduled for June 2024 to check the entire system, its performance at sea and its passage over the dyke.
This device is an effective way of monitoring activity in the marine environment around the site. As well as simply ensuring the preservation of good living conditions for underwater fauna, it will also enable us to monitor underwater activity in real time over the duration of the project.