Over the past several weeks, the split hopper dredger Trud R has been hard at work in the Gold Coast Seaway entrance, Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) said.
"Our latest surveys show an overall reduction of approximately 45,000 cubic metres of sand across the dredging area. That’s around 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools," GCWA said.
"This figure reflects the change between surveys, so it may include sand moved by both dredging and natural coastal processes."
Most of the sand collected by the Trud R is being transported offshore near Main Beach, keeping it within the Gold Coast’s coastal sand system.
The hopper dredger returned to the Gold Coast in May to replenish sand on the City’s beaches between Miami and Main Beach. The specialized sand dredging vessel will be continuing the recovery works following Tropical Cyclone Alfred, forming part of the City’s overall beach nourishment program.
According to GCWA, the overall beach recovery works funded by both the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements are estimated to cost $37.2 million.