The government says it is committed to dredging silt from the marina at Peel - despite a delay in starting work.

It was responding to criticism from the Isle of Man Harbour Users’ Association over the further postponement of the dredging until 2020.

’We think that time may be running out in this case and, unless something is done now, Peel is in danger of losing one of its finest assets and the government losing much more taxpayers’ money,’ said Association chairman Captain Eddie Kaighin.

Work had been due to begin this spring with a phased programme to remove 44,000 tonnes of silt and store it in a temporary pool constructed in a field upstream, beyond the power station site.

When the plans were first unveiled in December, the Department of Infrastructure said most of the silt will be pumped by pipeline to the storage lagoon and only a small proportion would be transported by road.

But Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer told Tynwald in April that the ’one compliant contractor has said it would not remove [the silt] by pipe but actually remove it by lorry to the lagoon.’

He said the protect migrating fish, the process could not be done in the autumn, meaning dredging was now likely to begin in early 2020.

This prompted the Harbour Users’ Association to write to the Minister to express its ’major disappointment and frustration’ over the delay.

’Currently our main worry is that we know that whatever dredging is carried out in 2020, unless preventative action is taken at the earliest opportunity, the appalling build up of silt will simply reoccur,’ wrote Mr Kaighin.

A spokesman for the Department of Infrastructure said: ’We are committed to removing the silt from Peel Marina and expect that this will start in 2020. Planning permission is in place for the first part of that process.

’We continue to work across government to find the most appropriate method to dispose of the silt safely while balancing the protection of the environment, the cost to taxpayers and the interests of the users of the marina.’

The Harbour Users’ Association says it has come up with simpler and more cost-effective solution involving silt traps to prevent the bulk of the material reaching the marina.

It suggests one such silt trap should be constructed just up-river of the church dock. This would allow the heaviest of the suspended silt to settle before the water goes over the weir as well as trapping the larger types of flotsam.

Dredging would still be required by either suction dredger or long reach excavator. With the heavy metal contaminants removed during ’stilling’ in the silt traps, the spoil could be disposed of at sea, says the Association.