Beach erosion and shoaling addressed at Patonga

Beach erosion in front of cottages at Patonga's Dark Corner and shoaling at the entrance to Patonga Creek will be addressed under the Gosford Beaches Coastal Zone Management Plan which has been adopted by Central Coast Council.

Short-term actions to address the erosion in front of the cottages at Dark Corner would include monitoring and assessment of existing erosion protection works.

In the medium term, the Department of Industry Lands would be required to implement erosion control in front of the cottages, in accordance with the Patonga Draft Plan of Management Crown Reserves and Dark Corner Cottages 2013.

It was noted than an initial upgrade was undertaken by the Department following the April 2015 storms and minor repair works were currently proposed following the June 2016 storms.

The estimated costs of the major works to be completed five-to-ten years into the implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Plan were $30,000 for design and between $400,000 and $600,000 for construction to be paid for by the NSW Government.

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage was named as the responsible entity for investigating the use of periodic maintenance dredging of sand from the entrance of Patonga Creek to keep the channel free from shoaling.

Council and the Office were also to investigate lengthening the existing entrance breakwater to improve sand trapping efficiency and reduce shoaling.

This was listed as a medium-to-long-term measure and no specific costings were included.

Central Coast Council has also been given responsibility to investigate installation of stormwater energy dissipation to reduce scour from stormwater at creek flows at the eastern end of Patonga Beach.

This would be achieved by installing energy dissipating blocks, a rock apron or by another method to reduce the velocity of outflows from the stormwater outlet

The works were estimated to cost $50,000 plus maintenance to come out of Council funds.

Post-storm beach scouring at a cost of between $10,000 and $20,000 annually was also listed as a way to repair the scour hole caused by stormwater discharge after storm events.

The Coastal Zone Management Plan also made way for the completion of a vegetation profile for the whole of Patonga Beach to ensure planting of dune vegetation was consistent with the natural vegetation profile.

The Draft Plan noted that some properties in the Coastal Zone at Patonga already had erosion protection installed but it made provision for works that were of similar design to existing adjacent works.

"Works could be considered to be emergency works if they were in line with the requirements of the Code of Practice under the Coastal Protection Act," according to the plan.

It stated that no funding was allocated from any level of government, indicating that land owners would be expected to bear the costs.

The plan also suggested a swimming enclosure at Patonga in the short-to-medium term, within Council's existing budget allocations.

"This may comprise timber piles with netting," the plan stated.

SOURCE:

Management Plan, 3 Apr 2017

Gosford Beaches Draft Coastal Zone, WorleyParsons