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Sand carting tacklesdune erosion

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Liam BeattyMidwest Times
A beach in Dongara. Sand has been added to Surf Beach to prevent erosion.
Camera IconA beach in Dongara. Sand has been added to Surf Beach to prevent erosion. Credit: Unknown/Supplied

Almost 900 tonnes of sand has been added to the popular Surf Beach in Dongara as part of an ongoing stabilisation effort to mitigate coastal erosion.

Shire parks and gardens supervisor Mark Jones said the coastline had “taken a beating” from a storm event in May last year, leading to significant erosion of sand dunes.

“We lost a lot of coastline during that last storm,” he said. “We’ve carted about 900 tonnes of sand to re-establish and stabilise our dune system.”

At the Shire’s council meeting on December 8, councillors voted to award the contract for an additional 150m of stabilisation to In-Situ Construction and Maintenance to begin this year.

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The cost of the project was estimated to be $261,054, with $250,000 from a Local Roads and Community Infrastructure grant secured in the 2020-21 Federal Budget.

Previously Shire president Mike Smith said erosion had been a “massive concern” for the Shire, with sand stabilisation proving to be a cost effective method of addressing the issue.

Mr Jones said a biodegradable mesh would be installed to secure the sand and revegetation work would begin once the weather cooled.

At the Shire’s council meeting last week, councillors were told the beach works would finish early this month.

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