The first stage of long-awaited dredging of the Swansea Channel has been completed, the state government says, with 16,690 cubic metres of sand moved so far.
A 30-metre wide channel has been made from the Dog Leg southeast of Elizabeth Island to the Drop Over northwest of the Swan Bay entrance in the Marks Point area.
Ultimately, Maritime NSW plans to take a total of 30,000 cubic metres of sand from the channel this year, allowing for vessels with a draft of up to 2.5 metres. The second phase of work is expected to begin mid-2024.
As previously reported, the government has also said it is working on a 10-year dredging and maintenance plan for the channel.
Swansea MP Yasmin Catley said it was a "huge result".
"What I'm hearing from the boaties who've seen this project take shape and people on the vessels coming through is that it's a success," she said.
"We're in this for the long haul, and we'll keep doing the work to keep the channel flowing as it should."
But Jason Nunn, a prominent member of Lake Macquarie's boating and angling community who owns Fishermans Warehouse at Marks Point, said he believed maintenance had focused on the wrong area.
He said the nearby Airforce Channel - an east-west route into the lake as opposed to the north-south Dog Leg - would be more effective to maintain.
"That Marks Point area has always been problematic with deepening up and sanding up all the time," he said.
"The east-west route was always more effective so why didn't they just maintain that?"
Mr Nunn said a community consultation committee should be formed to work with the government in order to get the best long-term results for the area and described dredging at the Dog Leg as a "band-aid" fix.
He said sand placed on Elizabeth Island would soon wash back into the channel.
"For me, it's just a waste of money," he said.
"Every time they pump sand up, it falls back in the water.
"Until it's rectified, every time it rains, every time it blows, every time a big tide comes in, every time someone slides down that sand hill, it just puts more sand in [the channel]."
Meanwhile, experts have been setting up a breeding area for Little Terns on Elizabeth Island, where the dredged sand has been placed.
They have recently spotted eight nests and at least 10 chicks in the area.
"This is a timely reminder to keep your distance from these vulnerable birds and their nests," migratory shorebird expert Phil Straw said in a statement released by Ms Catley's office on Friday.
"Please do not approach them, be sure to keep dogs away, and respect all signage and fencing around the nesting area."
