Geographe and Wonnerup Beaches Get New Sand

Beaches at Port Geographe and Wonnerup will be boosted with additional sand prior to summer, according to the Transport Minister Dean Nalder.

The Minister said that the sand was now being trucked to local beaches as part of a $28.15 million project to improve beach amenity and provide protection from erosion. The work is being carried out in conjunction with seagrass removal on the western side of Port Geographe to help minimize the seasonal build-up of seagrass.

Mr Nalder said the sand replenishment program had already commenced. ”This will continue over the next two months with sand being trucked in from a local sand supply,” he said.

From a scientific perspective, the sand monitoring and management program is being refined to better track sediment and sand movement across the project area each year. This will form the basis of future management decisions about sand volumes, bypass activity and beach nourishment.

The program will allow a detailed assessment to be completed before winter 2015 to determine if further work is needed to ‘balance’ sand volumes.

Landscaping will also start this month, following the award of a contract to Bunbury-based contractor, LD Total. These works will deliver an exciting new community recreation space for the public to enjoy.

Work on the two beaches will be completed by December.

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Press Release, October 9, 2014