Dredging operations at the Murray Mouth, which began on January 9th, are in full swing and on track for completion this summer.
The dredgers, currently operating in the Tauwitchere and Goolwa Channels, have so far removed over 417,000 cubic meters of sand.
The Murray Mouth dredging project is designed to remove accumulated sand from the mouth and the two channels. The cleared channels and the mouth will allow tidal variations into the Tauwitchere and Goolwa. Sufficient tidal variation allows for the exchange of well-oxygenated and cooling seawater which is needed for the environmental health of the Coorong.
Something similar was done from 2002 to 2010, during the Millennium Drought. Dredging stopped when higher flows returned in 2010, allowing cool, well-oxygenated sea water to enter the Coorong.
If all goes according to schedule, the project will be completed by the end of June 2015.