Swansea Channel Dredging

Navigational Channel Maintenance,
River and Waterways,
Coastal Protection/Beach Nourishment.

Principal:

NSW Public Works

Location:

Swansea Channel, NSW

Maintenance Dredging in the Swansea Channel

Overview of Project

Swansea Channel is the marine gateway to Lake Macquarie on the New South Wales (NSW) Central Coast. Creating and maintaining a more reliable boating access to the lake was considered desirable for social and economic reasons.

Neumann Dredging was selected by New South Wales (NSW) Crown Lands to undertake a larger scale “once off” maintenance dredging campaign to achieve this, with smaller subsequent campaigns for ongoing maintenance.

Scope of Works

The aim of the dredging campaign was to create a stable navigation channel to reduce the frequency of periodic follow-up dredging. All sand dredged from the channel was pumped to a designated area at Blacksmiths Beach where it was de-watered & spread as part of beach nourishment & dune rehabilitation works.

  • Dredging a 60m wide channel 3.5m deep,
  • Transfer of approximately 80,000m3 of sand up to 3.5km to Blacksmiths Beach.

Challenges

  • Presence of sensitive environmental ecosystems
  • Involvement of numerous stakeholders and interest groups,
  • Proximity to local residents,
  • limited timeframe to complete the dredging,
  • Installing 3,500mof pipeline from the Channel to the beach including an 80m section through an existing box culvert,
  • Pumping the material up to 3,500m through a series of booster pumps,
  • Spreading the material evenly along the beach at the nourishment,
  • Maintaining safe navigational access for all boating traffic in this very popular and busy recreational waterway.

Swansea Channel Dredging Project Image Gallery

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