Wave of support for Wooli dune funding
NSW Government promises extra money for dune erosion prevention in Wooli and Brooms Head
Grafton
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WOOLI locals have praised a commitment by Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis for $125,000 in planning grants from the NSW Government to protect Wooli and Brooms Head beaches from erosion.
The money will help Clarence Valley Council to invest in the next stages of erosion protection through the design of a beach nourishment scheme.
"This scheme will include periodic sand back-passing and supplementary beach scraping to provide a sand buffer to offset current and future risks to the beach's land, assets and infra- structure," Mr Gulaptis said.
"We recognise and share in the community's concern that Wooli Beach has a long history of coastal recession and we are doing what we can to support Council in addressing erosion issues for the village of Wooli."
Beach scraping involves bringing sand from below the high-tide mark towards the dunes to create a buffer, so that in a storm event it is less likely the main dune will be affected.
Wooli Dunecare member and Coastal Communities Protection Alliance vice- president Peter Dunn said sand would be brought from the other end of the beach to reinforce the dune system in what is known as beach nourishment.
"This is a really important part of the overall plan to prevent erosion," Mr Dunn said.
"Groups such as Dunecare have been creating sand traps and planting spinifex and other coastal plants which help preserve the dunes.
"Efforts have been made to protect the dunes from once in every 10 or even 20 year storms through beach scraping but this money would mean we could embark on a program of beach nourishment that would would help prevent serious erosion during a once in every fifty year storm."
Mr Dunn said it was important that programs were ongoing.
"If we did nothing, eventually the new dune that was created by scraping would be wiped out, leaving the main dune exposed," he said
"Mr Gulaptis has been a big supporter of this project and we have been working together with (the) council on this for the last eight or nine years."
Originally published as Wave of support for Wooli dune funding
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