Annual sand replenishment at Glenelg

Annual sand recycling at Glenelg Beach is nearing the halfway point with work on the northern side of the jetty to finish next Friday, August 1.

Over the following two weeks, the contractors will decommission the northern site and move the equipment to the southern side of the jetty with pumping to recommence the week beginning Monday, August 18.

The operations, usually performed from April to October, are undertaken by McConnell Dowell on behalf of the Department for Environment and Water.

Sand pumping uses pumping stations and underground pipelines to transfer a mixture of sand and seawater from beaches where sand is building up, to beaches where sand is eroding.

Two sections of Adelaide’s coast have sand pumping infrastructure – Glenelg to Kingston Park and the Torrens Outlet to the West Beach dunes.

The underground pipeline from Glenelg to Kingston Park pumps up to 100,000 m3 of sand successfully each year.

Whilst options for managing the beaches north of West Beach are considered, the pipeline between the Torrens Outlet and the West Beach dunes is not currently being used. Trucks continue to be used in other sections of the coast for beach replenishment.