City of Cape Town undertakes annual beach lowering

The City of Cape Town’s Coastal Management Branch started the annual beach lowering programme at Fish Hoek beach yesterday. Thereafter, the project team will proceed with the work at Muizenberg, Gordon’s Bay and Bikini Beach.

Beach lowering or re-profiling is important in maintaining ecological stability in highly altered coastal systems, specifically as it relates to mitigating and managing windblown sand.

This work is also important to ensure recreational users continue to enjoy the coastal environment, and that infrastructure remains free of sand as far as possible. 

“These beaches will be mechanically lowered prior to the summer wind season to reduce windblown sand problems, and we plan to do this annually. Lowering of beach levels takes place annually and enables greater areas of the beach to be wet during high tides, therefore limiting the potential for wind-blown sand to inundate adjacent roads and infrastructure,” said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.

The following areas along the beach will be lowered:

• Fish Hoek beach: from Jagger’s Walk, in front of the Galley restaurant, to the stormwater outlet in front of the main parking area,
• Muizenberg beach: from Surfer’s Corner to the Zandvlei River mouth,
• Gordon’s Bay beach: from the Spur restaurant to the end of the parking area in the north,
• Bikini Beach: the entire length of the beach.