Murray Mouth Dredging in Full Swing

The South Australia’s Murray Mouth dredging program – with the main goal to keep the river connected to the sea – is moving ahead.

Under the cleanup plan, Maritime Constructions crews operate two dredges at the Murray Mouth 24/7 in an intensive maintenance effort to keep the significant waterway open by dredging sand, shell grit and seagrass which accumulates in and around the mouth of the river.

Due to reduced environmental flows from upstream and the high energy coastline moving sand inward, the Murray Mouth can close quickly without good freshwater flows.

“It is important to keep the mouth of the Murray River open and flowing to ensure that the Coorong and Lower Lakes stay healthy as they will otherwise turn hyper-saline and destroy the ecosystem,” said Maritime Constructions.

“Conditions on site are challenging with fast running tides and sand bars developing regularly in this estuarine environment.”

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan, which became law in 2012, set the goal that the Murray Mouth should remain open without the need for dredging 95 per cent of the time.