Kingston District Council, South Australia, said in their latest release that they have been successful in receiving grant funding from the Coast Protection Board to implement strategies to minimize erosion risk in vulnerable areas at Wyomi Beach.
This funding had originally been sourced for the installation and extension of sandbags to both ends of the existing sandbags which were installed in April 2019.
Through the initial planning phase, further collaboration with Coast Protection Board representatives meant that alternate strategies needed to be considered in an effort to minimize associated damage with the existing dunes and vegetation, as well as not further compounding the erosion concerns in the immediate area.
The sand nourishment campaign will be undertaken in May 2020, with approximately 7,000m³ of sand placed to the south of the existing rockwall and sandbags to protect the area.
According to the Council, a minimum of 3,000m³ will also be placed to the north of the existing installation.
The sand placement will provide a ‘buffer’ for the short term protection of the area whilst long term strategies, triggers and financial commitments are determined through the development of a Coastal Adaptation Strategy.
Sand nourishment is considered a crucial aspect of coastal protection as seen at various locations across the state, and becomes particularly important where ‘hard’ options, such as rock walls or sandbags, have previously been installed.