Environment Agency Wales and the other regulators, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department of Transport, are in the process of considering alternative solutions with respect to the current applications from the Port of Mostyn, for dredging and disposal of material in the Dee Estuary in North East Wales. All three regulators made an initial decision, independently of each other, that they were not able to grant the applications as the proposed dredge, in combination with the disposal, may cause loss of sand with eventual reduction in area of sand banks by up to 50 hectares per annum. This could threaten the ecological integrity of the site, including its importance as an international site for migratory birds.