Dredging of sand from the Tweed River entrance will get underway over the weekend beginning today, as part of the ongoing Tweed Sand Bypassing project.
About 150,000 cubic metres of sand will be dredged from the river entrance over six to 8 weeks to maintain a clear channel for boating.
Member for Tweed Geoff Provest says maintaining a clear and safe entrance to the Tweed River is crucial for both commercial and recreational boating, and to support the coastal lifestyle which is an integral part of the region’s identity.
‘This dredging protects the economic viability of the region. It allows commercial fishermen to navigate the river to make their living, and provides tourism operators, commercial yachts and other recreational water users continued safe passage.’
The dredging involves the permanent sand bypass jetty at Letitia Spit which collects naturally drifting sand that would otherwise accumulate at the river entrance. This sand is then pumped under the Tweed River entrance and delivered to southern Gold Coast beaches.
Provest says the dredging that gets underway now is further periodic work to remove sand that has naturally bypassed the jetty and has collected in the Tweed River entrance.
The dredged sand from the entrance is relocated offshore of Duranbah Beach and the southern Gold Coast beaches. Some dredged sand will also be deposited offshore of Tugun/Bilinga and possibly Fingal.
‘All of the dredging work is subject to environmental controls and monitoring.’ said Mr Provest.
‘The Tweed Sand Bypassing project aims to keep the Tweed River Entrance navigable and deliver a long-term average of 500,000 cubic meters of sand each year to maintain the health of the Gold Coast’s southern beaches.’
Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey said this year’s NSW Budget has allocated $30 million for coastal infrastructure work along the east coast. ‘This will include a range of works from dredging sand to keep our waterways navigable to upgrading breakwaters and public jetties,’ said Ms Pavey.
‘NSW has some of the best waterways and beaches in the world and we want to ensure they are kept in tip-top condition for our communities and to support tourism.’
Now there,s a concerned council doing positive works for their water ways . Where,s our boating outlet ? Brunswick heads I suppose . One day I hope the Belongil spit could be turned into boating out let just like the one perfect example at Pottsville and all the extra sand build up this would create could be used to make the Belongil beach more secure and beautiful .
Shame Provest didn’t stand up for the sustainable local commercial fishers when his government introduced the failed reforms that has seen the reduction of fresh local seafood for consumers and the increase of imported seafood into the area
Sand dredging clears the seaway ok but sends the dredge with sand to north Kirra and also dumps it in the deep hole near d’bar.
TSC has a report that shows the surf club is already threatened by ocean rise.
When it falls into the ocean the breakthrough to the river will inundate most of Fingal so use the fourth option advanced by the bypass people and send the sand back to Fingal where it came from to save the village along with a project including replacing the lost for-dune and some intense vegetation planting and rock stabilization.