Cornelian Bay: Hobart City Council to ask for federal funding to remediate contaminated beach

The major parties are being asked to provide funding to help restore a contaminated Hobart beach so that people can one day swim there again as the local council seeks to capitalise on the federal election campaign.

Children playing at Cornelian Bay beach in 2000.

The Hobart City Council will lobby the major parties for funding in a bid to remediate the contaminated Cornelian Bay beach with an eye to one day opening it to swimmers again.

Swimming at Cornelian Bay was banned in 2006 due to the environmental impacts of sand mining, upstream industrial operations, and stormwater outflows.

Hobart councillors Ryan Posselt and Zelinda Sherlock moved a motion at a council meeting on Monday to authorise city officers to work with the Derwent Estuary Program to monitor water quality levels in the bay and identify opportunities for remediation.

A child playing at Cornelian Bay in 2000.

The motion was carried unanimously and a report will be prepared outlining the options for improving water quality at Cornelian Bay and potentially restoring it as a recreational site.

Alderman Marti Zucco successfully moved an amendment to the motion which will require the council to write to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, Opposition defence industry spokesman Luke Howarth, and independent Clark MP Andrew Wilkie, calling for federal funding to support the remediation of the bay and reinstallation of sand on the beach.

Mr Posselt said there were many benefits to restoring the ecosystem of Cornelian Bay, including improving access to cold water swimming for people living in Hobart’s Northern Suburbs.

City of Hobart councillor Ryan Posselt. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“If we can [remediate the beach], then we can have a look at swimming a little bit down the track. But let’s restore the ecosystem, let’s monitor the water quality, and let’s hear what our officers have to say about remediating the bay to what it once was,” he said.

Mr Zucco called for sand to be replaced at Cornelian Bay beach in 2014 and said on Monday that he would “love to see swimming back there”.

“I think it would be absolutely amazing. But there are a lot of things that have got to go under the bridge, so to speak,” he said.

“So hopefully if we can try and at least get the sand back and do some testing and maybe we can reinstate Cornelian Bay in the future.”

City of Hobart Alderman Marti Zucco. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Zucco said the council had an “opportunity” to secure government funding to support the project because it had leverage during the federal election campaign.

Councillor Ben Lohberger also supported the motion but expressed doubt that the beach could ever truly be remediated.

“I just don’t think we’ll be able to get it back. But I’m quite happy to support the motion. We’ll have a look – there’s nothing wrong with getting a report done,” he said.

Originally published as Cornelian Bay: Hobart City Council to ask for federal funding to remediate contaminated beach