THE dredging of the notorious Batemans Bay sandbar is set to resume this week after rough weather at the weekend caused delays.
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Victorian-based company Slurry Systems Marine arrived and set up their equipment on February 14, and had already begun dredging and depositing the sand near Corrigans Beach when the surrounding seas got rough.
The dredged sand is being used to
create protective dunes in front of the Batemans Bay Beach Resort, and to nourish the beach and counter erosion.
“It’s clean sand that is easy to pump,” Slurry Systems Marine chief Lex Nankervis said.
About 7000 cubic metres are due to be dredged , with an option on another 4000 cubic metres if required.
NSW Government-appointed contract supervisor Peter Spurway said the cost of the work would be “around the $400,000 mark”.
“We are hoping to have the work done by the end of April, but we are allowing for another month depending on the weather,” he said.
“We did expect that there would be days when we wouldn’t be able to work due to the weather.”
At present, the sandbar is 0.9m under the water, and the aim is to get it to 1.7 to 1.8m deep.
“This will give it longevity,” Mr Spurway said. “The deeper and wider we go, the longer it will last.”
The sandbar was previously 1.1 to 1.2 metres deep, but it had become as shallow as 0.8m.
“We are not pretending that it is going to last forever, but we are doing something positive about a dangerous situation,” Mr Spurway said.