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Kingston District Council (SA) is about to begin emergency dredging campaign to enable reopening of the Cape Jaffa marina.
The Council has now engaged its dredging contractor to mobilize and commence dredging at its earliest availability, in the first week of November. The works will enable re-opening of the marina for all vessels by not later than the end of November and if possible, earlier.
An extensive sand management/dredging campaign undertaken in early 2024, to remove 75,000 cubic meters of sand build-up, was committed to by the current term of Council with intent to get ahead of expected sand accretion rates along the Cape Jaffa coastline.
However, the recent storms were so impactful that this campaign is now largely redundant and greater interventions are now required. The Council considers the recent storm impact as a natural disaster and is seeking funding support to deal with its impact upon the Cape Jaffa marina environment.
The Council endorsed release of its remaining current year dredging budget of approximately $520,000 to commence the dredging program, noting however, that the full extent of works required would far exceed this amount. Almost 100,000 cubic meters of sand accumulated following the recent storms in early September.