Once touted as a cutting edge solution to sand renourishment, the $4.2 million Jimmys Beach sand transfer system lies idle while severe coastal erosion gnaws perilously close to dozens of homes.
The pipeline, which was meant to enable the delivery of on-demand sand from Winda Woppa, two kilometres away, onto the beach has only been used twice since it opened in 2019.
The project was paid for with a combination of state government and council funding.
Today, the heavy black pvc piping lies strewn along the beach while Mid Coast Council has resorted to using trucks to move sand onto the beach.
The council launched a review into the project in late 2022.
Among the issues which have hindered the system's operation is the difficulty in securing a specialist operator. A generator also needs to be brought in to supply power to the plant.
Ultimately, trucking sand, which was used for years prior to the installation of the transfer system, is considered a more cost-effective way of moving sand.
The council said the transfer system had not been written off, as some had speculated, and it could be used at a later date.
A spokesman said the infrastructure was last used in 2021.
"It does require a suitably skilled and experienced operator to monitor and coordinate operation of the slurry pumping system so that it maximises efficiency without becoming blocked. This has previously been outsourced to an external contractor as an overall contract. They may recruit or retain staff from all over the country to suit their specialist operations," he said.
Council's mechanical staff routinely attend the site to maintain the motors, pumps and electrical control. This keeps it available for use at any stage in the future.
The spokesman said each sand campaign was assessed for the most effective method to transfer sand and profile the beach shape.
"The sand transfer system is one of the options and will continue to be assessed for operation depending upon the needs at the particular time and the most effective way to deliver the outcome," he said.
But Myall River Action Group spokesman Gordon Grainger, who has witnessed the saga first hand, said the transfer system had been a "a disgrace".
"It was a poorly designed project. They didn't do their homework," he said.
"The whole episode was a disgrace and a waste of $4.2million."
Last week's erosion event at Jimmys Beach put about 10 properties along The Boulevard at imminent risk, however, about 40 properties could be affected in the long term.
The council is spending about $1 million a year on dune restoration at Jimmys Beach, which equates to about $50 for each ratepayer within the sprawling Mid Coast Local Government Area.
The Jimmys Beach residential area, which includes The Boulevard, was opened up in the late 1960s.
Long-time Tea Gardens real estate agent Rick Wraight said there would be no way such a residential development would be approved today.
"There are lots of things that were developed years ago that shouldn't have been," he said.
"The council of the day didn't have the understanding that we have now.
"The developer pushed the primary dune towards the river to fill in the land. That dune was the natural buffer and there have been problems ever since."
