MidCoast Council, NSW, Australia, has just announced that their dredging operations in the Lower Myall River are progressing according to schedule with 27,000 cubic metres of sand removed from the eastern channel so far.
The contractor, Dredging Solutions Pty Ltd, is now one month in to the 27 week project that will remove a total of 120,000 cubic metres of sand from the channel.
“Weather conditions for dredging have been very favourable since works commenced on site, and the dredging team have been working long days to maintain production targets of around 1,000 cubic metres per day,” explained Andrew Staniland , MidCoast Council’s Coastal Management Coordinator.
“Production is being only mildly impacted by blockages caused by timber and sticks that are within the channel floor, which is to be expected.”
While the total cost of the project is $1.7 million, Council successfully received $850,000 in funding through the NSW Government’s ‘Rescuing Our Waterways’ program, to cover half of the costs.
The purpose of the project is to improve navigation through the channel for boat users.
The excess sand will also benefit the Jimmys Beach community by supplementing the Winda Woppa stockpile, to help combat erosion via the sand transfer system.
According to Andrew Staniland, the next stage to consider is when to begin the scheduled re-nourishment of Jimmys Beach, another facet of this project.