More sand arrives onto Jimmys Beach

MidCoast Council will continue to renourish the sand on Jimmys Beach from the Winda Woppa stockpile to protect this area that is threatened by coastal erosion.

A review of the use of the sand transfer system which was designed to pump sand from the stockpile to the beach is still underway.

“Initial indications from this review have shown that the sand transfer system has proven to be effective but it is only one method of renourishing the beach, so we will go forward using a mix of methods to transfer sand to ensure we protect the road and consequently the homes located on the peninsula,” said Council’s Director of Engineering and Infrastructure Services, Robert Scott.

Jimmys Beach, located on the Winda Woppa peninsula at Hawks Nest, is one of 15 coastal areas formerly referred to by the NSW Government as a coastal erosion ‘hotspot’.

The sand transfer system, which was commissioned in July 2019, was a $4.1 million project funded jointly by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, the Department of Primary Industries Crown Lands and Water and MidCoast Council to trial a solution of using pumps to take sand from a stockpile at the end of the Winda Woppa peninsular to Jimmys Beach.

Following two renourishment campaigns, the operation and cost of the system has been independently reviewed.

“This has shown that sand trucking also remains a viable option, so we will continue to use trucks when appropriate and will choose the most economical method each time we need to replenish the beach,” Mr Scott said.

The sand that is transferred to Jimmys Beach comes from the stockpile at the end of the peninsula that is created by navigational dredging of the nearby Eastern Channel of the Myall River.

“We know the continued dredging of the channel to allow for recreational boating is important to the community and the method we use to transfer the sand to Jimmys Beach has no impact on this. The dredging program will continue as programmed, regardless of the transfer method.”

At this point in time approximately 20,000 cubic metres of sand per year is moved onto the beach to protect the road from erosion and to replenish it following severe weather events.

Providing a sand buffer on Jimmys Beach has been an issue for Council and the Winda Woppa community for the best part of 30 years.