State Government will be to blame

Just a quick response to Godfrey Franz (Peninsula News, November 27):

Knowing enough about maritime law to get myself into trouble, there is no way it is the responsibility of the Central Coast Council to dredge the channel at Box Head.

It's been just several weeks since the last emergency dredging was conducted and already the sand is back into its position, causing a navigational hazard to marine users.

This area needs a major dredging operation with dedicated dredgers, not an excavator on a barge.

The sand could even be pumped ashore to widen the beach at Umina or even Lobsters (National Park restrictions obviously may apply).

The buck-passing from the State Government is bordering on negligent as someone will be killed on this bar.

The Council is right to hold fast against pressure to pay for this operation.

It is a State responsibility or at a stretch a national responsibility?

The cost would be too great to expect Central Coast Council to take over and set a precedent for what will be continuous maintenance dredging.

The flow of water around Broken Bay ensures that sand will always build up in this area over a period of time.

It is why the surfing there is so good!

Experts need to be engaged and listened to, before someone is killed.

Any subsequent Coroner's report will lay the blame under law with the State Government, not Central Coast Council.

Source:

Email, 5 Dec 2017

Ross Cochrane, Woy Woy