Dear News of the Area,

IT was interesting to see MidCoast Council’s Robert Scott describe the $4.1 million Winda Woppa sand transfer system as “a trial of using pumps to take sand“ from the Winda Woppa stockpile to Jimmy’s Beach.

From the time it was first announced by Great Lakes Council in May 2015 the sand transfer system was touted not as a trial but as the best alternative to the costly and disruptive use of trucks for sand movement.

MidCoast Council’s own announcement of April 2019 tells us that “it was determined that the sand transfer system is viable for Jimmy’s Beach. It provides a more reliable source of sand that is readily available when required and is a cheaper option than trucking sand.”

Clearly the sand transfer system has not lived up to expectations.

Perhaps because of the logistical difficulty of quickly assembling the required staff, plant and equipment,and higher than expected operating costs, the system has been deployed infrequently and beach trucking has been favoured.

It will be interesting to see what “mix of methods” is employed by Council for future sand movements.

Millions upon millions of dollars have been spent establishing and maintaining a sand buffer at Jimmy’s Beach – a buffer that can be completely washed away by a couple of days of adverse swell and tides.

I sympathise with Council.

The sand buffer cannot really be called a permanent solution but there is no obvious or easy alternative.

Measures such as groynes, offshore banks and sea walls come with their own questions, risks and difficulties but perhaps we should now seriously re-examine all options for a truly permanent solution to erosion at Jimmy’s Beach.

Regards,
Col Nicholson.
Hawks Nest 2324