THE WESTERN or Navigational Channel, the lower Myall River’s main thoroughfare, is expected to be dredged following council’s successful application to the Department of Lands.
Great Lakes Council will now conduct a survey of the site with a detailed proposal of environmental factors and costing.
Manager of Natural Systems at Great Lakes Council, Gerard Tuckerman said before costs can be confirmed the exact amount of sand required for dredging must be determined.
“We are still in the preliminary stages of the proposal. Council must now go through a deposition phase and detail information about the correct location and volume of sand that needs to be removed,” he said.
“We see it as a priority in the Estuary Plan and council is keen to see the plan go through as soon as possible.”
In their expression of interest to the department, council estimated that 10,000 cubic metres of sand will be removed from the site at a cost of between $300,000 and $400,000.
However council says it won’t know the exact figures until it receives the results of a hydro survey, currently being conducted by NSW Maritime.
Once the costs are determined council will be provided with 50 per cent of the funds from the department while the remaining costs will be shared by Great Lakes and Port Stephens Councils.
After a continued effort to bring council’s attention to the declining state of the river member of the Myall River Action Group, Gordon Grainger, said the funding is a step in the right direction.
“The continuation of uninterrupted ferry services will be of great help to the commercial premises of both towns and we have been pleased to be part of this achievement, particularly as it has been on Council books as a recommendation since the year 2000.”
However Mr Grainger said the group is still determined to see the original channel opened.
“Our prime objective is still to clear the original entrance to the river and we are pleased that council will continue their efforts in obtaining funding for necessary studies by government authorities,” he said.
“We are still faced with a continuation of poor water quality again following the recent heavy rains and the rivers’ inability to clear as quickly as in the past.
“We are also facing the potential destruction of the heritage listed Corrie Island, the reduced salinity levels and the subsequent demise of the Myall River oyster industry as well as the possible buildup of potential harmful toxins in the Myall Lakes area.”
In response to the group’s concerns, Mr Tuckerman said council will conduct a Sedimentary Hydrodynamics Study of the original channel and find a solution for the problem.
Tea Gardens resident, Councillor Len Roberts, said after nine years the project was a victory for common sense.
“It signals that council and the Department of Lands are considering our area. It is a victory for the estuary management and Myall River Action Group committee and the people who stood up for the river.”
With the recent announcement of a major development proposal in Tea Gardens by the Crighton Group, Cr Roberts said the need for a healthy navigational channel is all the more important.
“The council has predicted the local population will increase five fold over the next 20 years so we must manage this change correctly. Our waterways must be able to cope with this boost in population,” he said.
“We need to know the long term solution. It shouldn’t be guess work it must be based on science.”
Great Lakes Council’s study of the site is expected to begin in the near future.
Email a friend