MARITIME NSW believes a new proactive approach to dredging Swansea Channel will provide a permanent solution for both Lake Macquarie boaters and Blacksmiths Beach.
The NSW government will announce $6 million in funding on Monday to Maritime NSW to operate and maintain a permanent dredge and pipeline to move sand out of the Swansea Channel and onto Blacksmiths Beach until at least 2031.
This follows the Commonwealth government announcement on Friday that $10 million will be provided for the construction of the dredge and the pipeline.
In January 16,690 cubic metres of sand was dredged from the Swansea Channel and dumped on Elizabeth Island after the waterway became so shallow it was almost impossible for larger and medium-keel vessels to navigate out of Swansea Heads.
A further 13,000 cubic metres of sand was dredged in July.
While Lake Macquarie boaters greeted the dredging positively, there were calls for a permanent solution to the problem.
Director of Maritime NSW North Region, Darren Wood, told the Newcastle Herald that previous dredging had been delivered on an 'ad-hoc basis', but the $16 million funding package from Federal and State governments would ensure a long-term benefit.
"It's a proactive approach," Mr Wood said. "We've got a good understanding of how sand moves in and out of the channel and have an understanding of how often it needs to be dredged now.
"We can get in there and proactively hit it before the point that navigation becomes an issue.
"Therefore, you have great access for all the boaties going into the future and we'll be able to do maintenance dredging, as opposed to reactive dredging."
Swansea MP and Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley has been fighting for a dredging solution for the better part of a decade.
"We promised to fix the Swansea Channel and ensure it remains safe and navigable and that's exactly what we're doing," she said.
"This will provide certainty to local and visiting boaties and allow them to visit one of the state's most beautiful waterways year-round.
"Lake Macquarie is one of NSW's top tourist destinations. By improving access to our wonderful waterways, we're making sure that locals and visitors can fully enjoy the first class recreational opportunities our region has to offer."
Lake Macquarie City Council will soon put out tenders for the dredge and pipeline, which is expected to run behind Belmont Golf Course. Construction is tipped to take two years.
Maritime NSW previously had success in building permanent sand dredges and pipelines in Coffs Harbour and Tweed Heads.
Blacksmiths Beach has suffered from erosion in recent years.
Mr Wood said dumping the sand on the beach at Blacksmiths, instead of at Elizabeth Island, situated inside Lake Macquarie off Marks Point, also made environmental sense.
"By placing the sand on Blacksmiths Beach we mimic the natural sand movement, so it'll move north rather than dump it all on an island," he said.
"It's a win-win. It's a holistic approach. It's not only at that channel, but we're looking at the beach and the natural sand movements all around NSW and how it works."
