Port Stephens Council has rejected suggestions that sand nourishment along Conroy beach at Corlette has been washed away, while conceding that some of the higher placed sand had "washed to a lower level".
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The sand nourishment works at Conroy beach commenced on August 10 and are scheduled for completion on September 4.
Longtime Corlette resident Ken Shadler wrote to the Examiner, describing the project work as "turning into a farce, or maybe an expensive game of Snakes and Ladders".
"The council has contracted a conservation service to do the job which is fine. But unfortunately, the sand is being washed away nearly as quickly as it has been carefully placed to reinstate the beach," Mr Shadler observed.
"So I can't understand why council has gone down this path and why it has not have replaced more of the erosion with decent sand bagging or rock placement to prevent further erosion from happening."
A council spokesperson said that approximately 9000 tonnes of sand was being relocated from the western end of Corlette Beach (adjacent to The Anchorage) to the eastern end near Sandy Point and Conroy Park.
"Funding of $122,310 was received from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment under the 2018/19 Coastal and Estuary Management Program - which was awarded based on the scope of works (sand nourishment) identified in the NSW Government Sandy Point/Conroy Park Foreshore Erosion and Drainage Management Plan (2018)."
In relation to claims that sand was being washed away, the spokesperson added: "Some of the sand that was placed higher on the bank has washed down to a lower level as part of the coastal processes [which have] shaped the beach profile. This was expected to occur and the sand is still in place."
In regard to the option of either sandbagging or rock placement, the spokesperson said that sand nourishment was identified as a priority for the management of erosion for that section of foreshore in a study commissioned in 2018.
"Other erosion control options were considered in the study which may be implemented in future works. We engaged the services of Soil Conservation Services to provide specialist advice, they advised that extending the wall would be more effective in protecting the coastline than sand nourishment. DPIE did not support this approach at this time and advised us to continue with sand nourishment as per the endorsed plan."
East ward councillor John Nell said that sand nourishment was never going to be a permanent solution to the erosion problem.
"Unfortunately, the council work was poor timing due to the westerlies, where the combination of wind and waves has washed away some of the newly placed sand. There is no easy fix. Rocks could be part of a more permanent solution but where do you stop."
