Dredging to the entrance of the Tweed River will begin this month as part of the Tweed Sand Bypassing project.
The project’s twin objectives are to establish and maintain a safe, navigable entrance to the Tweed River, and restore and maintain the coastal sand drift to the beaches on the southern Gold Coast of Queensland. It is a joint government initiative of the New South Wales and Queensland governments.
‘Dredging of the Tweed River entrance supports the long-term viability of the local commercial fishing fleet and assists with safe passage for recreational boaters,’ said Transport for NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings.
‘Over the coming weeks, dredging will remove approximately 140,000 cubic metres of sand.’
‘Our aim is to keep the Tweed River entrance navigable and deliver a long-term average of 500,000 cubic meters of sand each year to maintain sand supply to the Gold Coast’s southern beaches.’
The project’s sand transport system collects sand from the southern side of the Tweed River entrance at Letitia Spit and pumps it under the river to outlets on the northern side.
Sand also naturally accumulates at the Tweed River entrance and this is what will be removed by a dredge vessel, and deposited offshore of Bilinga, Duranbah and Fingal beaches.
All of the dredging work is subject to environmental controls and monitoring. Boaters in the area are advised to exercise caution when using the Tweed River entrance during this time.
For more information on the project, visit https://www.tweedsandbypass.nsw.gov.au/.
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