The Entrance channel: Council dredging caused ocean “pollution”
Dredging of The Entrance channel was shut down by the EPA after it found Central Coast Council had been allegedly polluting water North Entrance beach with sediment.
Dredging work at The Entrance channel was shut down in November by the NSW Environment Protection Authority after it found Central Coast Council had been allegedly pumping sediment into the waters off North Entrance beach.
An EPA spokeswoman confirmed to the Express Advocate that it believed a pollution event had occurred and was still under investigation.
“(The EPA) may take regulatory action if appropriate,” she said.
It was this complaint that meant dredging stopped almost a month earlier than expected and left work on the western side of the channel incomplete.
The EPA received a complaint from a member of the public on November 2, 2018 regarding dredging waste being discharged to waters at North Entrance.
Satellite images showed a “dredge discharge pipe discharging a black liquid to waters at the North Entrance Beach, The Entrance”.
Four days later an onsite inspection confirmed the presence of the pipe discharging “grey/black water to the wet sand zone of North Entrance beach and then flowing to the ocean”.
The inspector observed this “plume” heading south east of the discharge pipe.
In the terms of Central Coast Council’s dredging license it did not specify a discharge point at North Entrance beach.
The EPA found that by pumping sediment into the ocean, the council had committed an “alleged pollution of waters by pumping dredged materials directly to North Entrance Beach and the Pacific Ocean”.
The council was ordered to cease work immediately and was issued a notice of preventive action on November 15.
“The EPA requires the council to conduct dredging activities in accordance with its licence conditions, to ensure there is no unreasonable environmental impact,” the spokeswoman said.
“Council can continue dredging as long as it is meeting those licence conditions.”
In a council report on March 25, council’s staff reported to councillors that it was “uncertain if we can achieve compliance with the EPA direction”.
A feasibility study of the council’s dredging program has been commissioned to review the effectiveness of the project as well as to consider alternative dredging methods.
It will also review the worth of purchasing a new dredge after the one employed at The Entrance channel also suffered an unrelated “major equipment breakdown” that prevented it from navigating under The Entrance bridge.
A council spokeswoman said the council would continue to work with the EPA to address its concerns.
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“Council successfully moved approximately 45,000 cubic meters from The Entrance Channel in 2018,” she said.
“Council ensures that environmental protection is a key requirement in its procedure for dredging The Entrance Channel.
“Amongst other things Council also undertakes the dredging during the time of year when threatened birds are not using The Entrance or sand spit for breeding or feeding.”
Questions as to how the incident was able to occur and whether the pipeline had been used in previous dredging projects are being considered by the council’s staff.
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