MEMBER for Swansea Yasmin Catley says the forthcoming permanent sand dredge in Lake Macquarie has the potential to "unravel a lot of problems" across NSW waterways.
The Newcastle Herald reported on Monday that the NSW Government had allocated $6 million for Maritime NSW to operate and maintain a permanent dredge and pipeline to move sand out of the Swansea Channel and onto Blacksmiths Beach.
This followed the Commonwealth Government's $10 million investment last Friday to construct the fit-for-purpose dredge and pipeline.
While Swansea Channel and the boaters who navigate in and out of Lake Macquarie stand to benefit from the regular maintenance program, Ms Catley said the dredge would be versatile enough to be transported by road to other sites.
Other possible sites include Ettalong on the Central Coast, Myall River and Forster-Tuncurry, where the mid-north coast holiday town's famed oysters are under threat from an abundance of sand.
"By having a focus on dredging we will be able to unravel a lot of problems that we have around the state in terms of waterways and primary industry," Ms Yatley said.
Under the plan, sand will be dredged from Swansea Channel near Naru Beach and piped underneath the Pacific Highway and onto Blacksmiths Beach near the back of the Belmont Golf Course.
This is several kilometres north of the main swimming and surfing area at Blacksmiths Beach near the Swansea-Belmont Surf Life Savers Club and Blacksmiths Breakwater.
Darren Wood, director of Maritime NSW North Region, said the pipeline could be redirected to deposit sand further south if necessary.
Asked if the NSW Government is open to pumping the sand to the southern end of Blacksmiths Beach, Ms Catley said: "If there's an opportunity to, absolutely we will.
"There's a view if we put it south, it drifts along. If you go out to the end of the golf course, the erosion along there is critical. The northern end is critical."
Since January, almost 30,000 cubic metres of sand have been removed across two separate programs, reopening Swansea Channel to large and mid-level vessels.
It's also allowed off-shore racing to return to Lake Macquarie. Last weekend the Combined Offshore Series from Lake Macquarie to Port Stephens made its comeback.
"Everything is looking positive with the channel being kept open," Lake Macquarie Yacht Club commodore Geoff Edman said.
"I'm feeling a lot more comfortable that we can schedule these events into the future."
Mr Edman also said the dredging had seen the marina return to full capacity, after sitting at around 70 per cent when the channel was unnavigable.
"I know there have been difficulties with people buying and selling boats," he said.
"It was harder to sell your boat if it was on the lake. People were getting less money for them, and if you bought a boat that wasn't in the lake, you had to consider how you were going to get it back in."
