DEAR News Of The Area,

THANKS to Col Nicholson (Myall Coast NOTA January 5, 2023) for his considered and thoughtful response to MidCoast Council’s recent statement about sand renourishment of Jimmys Beach.

The “problem” with the Sand Transfer System began when Council approved the change in the design of the sand feed system from a simple system with a sand feed hopper fed by a mechanical loader, to the Jet-Flow Pump system – without any apparent analysis of the relative establishment and operating costs.

The “problem” was further exacerbated when Council neglected to provide an operator to be trained to operate the system.

The STS has only operated twice, each time by the contractor who built it.

The initial run was in July 2019 when it was commissioned and the second time in June 2021, when the contractor was re-engaged to operate it.

If the STS had been operated as intended, and deposited sand to the proper profile, it would have provided proper protection for Council assets (the road and services) and provided a usable beach for visitors to enjoy.

Sadly, as pointed out by Col Nicholson, it is not a “permanent” solution – continual renourishment will be required – but done properly, adequate protection will be provided at a significantly lower cost than the “hard options”, such as a sea wall, groynes and off-shore reefs.

It should also be noted that Council engaged a consultant to review the operation of the STS early last year.

The report was provided to Council in August 2022 but, to date, Council has only released a heavily redacted version of the report.

Regards,
Richard STREAMER,
President,
Winda Woppa Preservation Association Inc.