Beach scraping at Surfside’s East Beach saw sand from the tidal zone pushed up onto the dunes. Photo: Eurobodalla Shire Council.
A four-week dredging operation has begun in Batemans Bay to support navigation for commercial and recreational vessels and hopefully give some respite to Surfside homes threatened by coastal erosion.
The dredge vessel will focus on the Clyde River Bar, removing up to 30,000 cubic metres of sand, which will be taken offshore, around 600 metres from the Surfside Beach shore.
The dredging aims to maintain a navigable channel about 40 metres wide and to a depth of -2.6 metres Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT).
Transport for NSW said it had carefully planned the dredging to not only keep waterways safe but also help restore Surfside Beach, with sand placed in areas where tides and waves would naturally spread it along the bay.
High tides and coastal erosion at the beach have placed several houses at risk and community pressure for action has been mounting.
Eurobodalla Council undertook a one-off round of beach scraping at Surfside last month. The work to repair erosion on the East Beach reserve involved shifting sand from the intertidal zone to rebuild the dune.
Council’s coordinator of natural resources Heidi Thomson said the rebuild was done using a bulldozer – with jute matting laid down to stabilise the dune and 3000 plants to be put in next weekend.
“The work is a short-term buffer against the sea, buying residents some breathing time and allowing the dune time to settle. Residents and visitors can help the process by not walking on the dune area until it has stabilised,” Ms Thomson said.
“It’s short-term protection in response to strong community concern, with emergency funding from the NSW Government’s emergency works funding stream. Longer term solutions will depend on sand movement and coastal processes well beyond council’s reach.”
With the scraped sand settling, the Surfside Landcare group and residents will replant the dune with native coastal species. It’s hoped the dredged sand will also nourish Surfside’s east and west beaches over coming months.
“We hope these combined activities help the shoreline recover naturally over time,” Ms Thomson said.
“While beach scraping is not a sustainable approach to coastal erosion at this location, council will continue to monitor the beach to gauge its effectiveness. The University of NSW is also setting up a long-term monitoring program to track offshore sand movement and provide guidance for future coastal management.”
The start of the project follows community consultation on the Review of Environmental Factors (REF), which provided valuable input to guide the work. As a result of this feedback, a dredging monitoring system has been developed to assess the dredging impact and inform future projects. Monitoring stations will measure the velocity of water movement, and the direction and turbidity of sediment transport.
Transport for NSW Maritime Executive Director Mark Hutchings said the dredging would help keep Batemans Bay accessible and safe for all users.
He said dredging was a key part of waterway management, helping maintain navigation channels and access to maritime infrastructure. The project addressed community feedback on erosion, sand placement and navigation dredging, ensuring recreational and commercial vessels could continue to navigate the bay safely.
