A LONG-TERM solution is in the works to deal with the ever-shifting sands of Swansea Channel.
Lake Macquarie council is in talks with the state and federal governments to put an arrangement in place that would achieve the continued dredging of the channel at no cost to ratepayers.
The federal government has put a preliminary grant offer of $10 million on the table to fund a permanent dredging solution for the channel.
At Monday night's council meeting, Labor councillor Adam Shultz said dredging of the channel has been a "bugbear of Lake Macquarie for a long period of time".
"If council can pull this off being the glue I think it's a huge feather in the cap for yourself [mayor Kay Fraser], the current councillors, and hopefully future councillors as well," he said.
Boaters, including Lake Macquarie Yacht Club commodore Geoff Edham, have called for a long-term commitment to maintain the channel.
Swansea Channel is the marine gateway to Lake Macquarie but due to historic interventions, the breakwater, bridge build and foreshore development there is a continual need to dredge the channel to provide access to the lake.
If all goes to plan, the council would use the federal government grant for the design, supply and delivery of a dredge and sand transfer system, as well as replace the Blacksmiths boat ramp.
The dredge and sand transfer system would be handed over to the state government to be operated by an arm of Transport for NSW.
Mayor Kay Fraser said dredging the channel is something the council has been talking about for decades, which the other two levels of government "haven't been that interested in".
"They've done a lot of grandstanding, a lot of talking about it, but nothing has actually happened," she said.
"It was only when local government stepped into the fray.
"We had a wish list, and one of them, one of the things was to get a permanent dredge and get a dredging solution for our beautiful lake so people can visit and enjoy it, not only from Lake Macquarie, but from all over and this has been a real game changer."
Cr Fraser said the council had been "brave, bold and courageous" and stepped up to "take a bit of a risk".
"From this there will be a lot more besides tourism that'll happen here for our city," she said.
"We'll see a lot more businesses setting up here, which means jobs for our children, our grandchildren and people that we love and care for deeply.
"So I think this is a really fantastic outcome."
The second and final stage of the state government's dredging operation was completed last month, removing 13,000 cubic metres of sediment from areas extending from the Dog Leg southeast of Elizabeth Island to the Drop Over northwest of the Swan Bay Entrance.
The state government recently announced its Boating Infrastructure and Dredging Scheme, which commits the government to dredging four waterways in NSW, including Swansea Channel.
The $44 million scheme includes $16 million set aside for dredging.
Those funds would complement the $10 million agreement being negotiated between the federal, state government and council for continued dredging of Swansea Channel.
According to the council, a permanent solution to dredging Swansea Channel is a "source of constant community feedback".
The council does not own the sands or waterways in the channel and maintains dredging is not its responsibility.
Surfers have been desperate to bring barrels back to Blacksmiths Beach since before the federal government made a commitment to fund a permanent dredging solution ahead of the 2022 election.
The Bring Blacksmiths Back group have lobbied for a sand transfer system for years to improve the surf, which they say has disappeared as the result of erosion and the breakwall.
One solution the group has put forward is using sand dredged from the channel to nourish the surf zone next to the northern breakwall at Blacksmiths.
Although sand transfer to Blacksmiths is not part of the grant agreement, a report to councillors at Monday night's meeting said "if sand deposition as requested can be achieved within available funds, there is no reason not to undertake that sand placement".
It would represent an extra 2.3 kilometres of sand transport above what is needed to make the channel navigational.
Last year, the council commissioned an economic assessment of the dredging of Swansea Channel.
An economic impact analysis found that delivering certainty that the channel would permanently be able to be navigated could unlock $176 million worth of new construction with direct and flow-on benefits of more than $350 million during the construction phase.
That investment could include new marina berths, homes and tourist accommodation with the potential to generate 364 new jobs and 883 direct and flow-on jobs.
The Castlecrest report found direct new spending in the economy each year would be in the order of $85 million.
Labor Cr Brian Adamthwaite said he saw continued dredging of the channel as a "win-win" for the city.
"For many years we've talked about this, we've wanted this," he said.
"It's a great outcome for this council, and it's something that I think we'll be looking at for many years into the future as being one of the great successes of this council and for our community."
Blacksmiths boat ramp is the city's busiest, and the only boat ramp that provides access to the ocean without the need to pass under Swansea Bridge.
In early 2023, a structural assessment identified the need for repairs, but further investigations suggested the ramp will likely fail in the future.
Temporary repairs have been undertaken but a replacement will be needed to make it last long-term.
Current council estimates for a new boat ramp show it will cost about $1.3 million, with $1 million of that to be funded from the federal government grant.
