Pumping sand on the Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast Council is gearing up to improve the sustainability of its beaches by pumping sand onto them.

A small dredge will be assembled at Mudjimba and remain off the coastline throughout the project. It will be used to pump 50,000 cubic metres of sand from the lower Maroochy River.

The project will improve the beach’s appearance while also providing long-term protection of the foreshore. It is focused on the foreshore between Alexandra Headlands and Cotton Tree. The two-month project is due to start in August.

The sand will also backfill the Maroochy groyne field, which is currently being replaced at the mouth of the Maroochy River.

Divisional Councillor Joe Natoli said that the Maroochydore Beach Renourishment Project, which began in 2013, has successfully protected the well-loved location.

“About every two years, the council replenishes the sand along Maroochydore Beach to widen it and uphold the erosion buffer,” Mr Natoli said. “Sand renourishment, dune revegetation and protection, and limiting beach access points are all part of the current shoreline management approach on Maroochydore Beach, which is expected to continue for many years.”

The buffer protects important community infrastructure, such as surf lifesaving towers, viewing decks, car parks, roads, parks, and playgrounds. It means that weather events will ideally cause less severe erosion. It needs to be about 50m wide to provide certainty of protection to these areas during an extreme storm.

Access to the Nojoor Road boat ramp, Mudjimba, will be restricted from 21 and 24 July to allow for assembly of the dredge that will be used to extract the sand. Sand pumping will begin around the Maroochydore groyne field from 1 August using a pipeline that has been in place since 2013.

Sand will then be pumped along Maroochydore Beach, beginning at Alexandra Headland in the south, before moving north to the Maroochydore SLSC.

Access to some of the car parks on Cotton Tree Parade and Memorial Avenue, Cotton Tree, and the nearby beach and sand spit will be restricted for the safety of the local community.

A booster pump located in the southeast corner of the car park will push sand up the pipeline. It’s housed in an insulated storage container to minimise noise impacts.

Work will occur between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays if required.

Image: Orion Media Group/stock.adobe.com