Boaties have received an early Christmas present with dredging work in the South Wave Break Island channel on the Gold Coast being finished sooner than originally planned, the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) reports.
“Dredging works started on 22 November and were originally due to finish on 20 December however, the works finished early on 10 December,” said GCWA in their latest release.
The South Wave Break Island channel is a key connection for people travelling between the eastern and western areas of the Broadwater to access the waterways network.
Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) CEO, Hal Morris, said that maintaining ongoing access to the Gold Coast’s waterways is vital for the marine, tourism and recreation industries.
“Our waterways support 6,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute $770 million directly and indirectly to our local economy every year. That’s why we’ve invested $532,000 in keeping this channel safe and accessible for waterways users,” said Morris.
The clean material dredged from the channel was placed at the southern end of the beach on Wave Break Island to replace sand lost to erosion and help build up resilience to storm surges.
The dredging works are part of the GCWA’s $27.6 million Waterways Management Program.