Recent storms have seen a large percentage of the 50,000 cubic metres of sand, dredged from nearby Yaccaba Headland, washed away resulting in a sheer 2.5m drop, leaving dune stabilising barriers exposed and collapsing onto the beach.

Council’s manager of parks and recreation, David Bortfeld, said the three year project is the “best financially achievable solution for the council at this point in time.”

“This is not a permanent solution.

“The project will be reviewed at the end of the three years and council may decide that this is the most effective way to control erosion and adopt it as their permanent solution.”

The Myall River Action Group has rejected council’s plan labelling it as a contributing factor to the siltation of the Myall River’s original channel.

“This is a bandaid solution and what we need is a permanent solution. Meanwhile the river continues to suffer and we are no closer to finding a solution for the original channel,” the group’s spokesperson, Gordon Grainger said.

However Mr Bortfeld said surveys conducted by the University of Technology in Sydney show sand from Jimmys is returning to Yaccaba.

“Our aerial photographs over this period of time haven’t significantly changed which would indicate the sand isn’t moving to the shortcut.”

But Mr Grainger said it was too much of a coincidence for the silting of the channel and the renourishment of Jimmys not to be linked somehow.

“If the pattern of sand movements is cyclical and does return to Yaccaba please explain why sand continues to build up and block the original channel?”

Suggestions that sand from the channel be dredged and pumped onto Jimmys were unrealistic Mr Bortfeld said, because that sand has a small grain size as opposed to a large size needed to stabilise Jimmys.

Over a period of six weeks 20,000 cubic metres of sand will be pumped back onto the beach.

Dates for the project are being finalised but is expected to begin before June.