The works will see Port Broughton company Aitchison Earthmoving cart and deposit 500 cubic metres of locally sourced sand along the toe of the seawall at West Terrace and around the historic Port Broughton Jetty. The top-up will provide a buffer of sand to protect the toe of the seawall from future erosion impacts and should be completed in time for the Easter holidays.
The project is part of a larger beach nourishment program Council is undertaking, which will see similar work completed from the Port Broughton Tourist Park beachfront, up to John Lewis Drive at the northern extent of the project during the next three years. The work commencing this week is stage one of three stages planned for this section of the beach.
The activity follows Council's successful pilot sand replenishment project undertaken at Dalling Street in June 2022. The pilot project involved monitoring sand levels at intervals along Port Broughton beach before works were completed, and regularly afterwards. The data shows the amount of sand retained in the system and where it is likely to build up if more is added over the coming years.
The deposits of sand along the foreshore will naturally spread and re-distribute with the tides and wave action to begin the process of filling in areas of significant sand loss. The ultimate aim of the project is for the level of the beach to remain stable at a desired height to provide adequate erosion protection for beachfront properties.
For many years, the Port Broughton foreshore has experienced erosion, due to the impacts of weather and the effects of man-made infrastructure such as sea walls and a boat ramp. The first stage of Port Broughton's nature-based solution to beach erosion received $30,000 from the State Government's 2021-22 Regional Coast Protection Grant Funding Program.
Council last year successfully applied for a federal government grant of $359,000. The entire program, is expected to be delivered over five years.
As part of Council’s efforts to protect the coastline from erosion, funding also is being sought from the Coast Protection Board to monitor and assess erosion of sand dunes at Fisherman Bay.
Council CEO Maree Wauchope said staff had competently assessed and planned a comprehensive and multi-faceted method of coastal protection which will be of benefit to the whole community without a large financial impost on ratepayers.