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Collapse Issue 470 - 27 May 2019Issue 470 - 27 May 2019
Collapse  NEWS NEWS
Ward councillors vote for Farnell Rd approval
Nursing home receives visit from alpaca
Application for five-storey 83-room hotel in Ettalong
Two-storey 'boutique' boarding house proposed
Sand artistry at Kiddies' Corner
Better shopping centre access to George St
Hotel proposal draws comment before exhibition period
Democracy has failed, says residents' group founder
Council staff at odds over street tree planting
Chamber receives $30,000 to promote local business
Council staff recommend rate rise
Matting installed to provide wheelchair beach access
Volunteers wanted to water street trees
Wicks returned for third term
An honour to be returned, says Wicks
Tesch urges support for on-demand bus service
Donation to Men's Shed
CWA branch president speaks on radio
CWA celebrates Mothers' Day with scones
CWA branch shows second fastest growth in NSW
Scouts donate to community garden
Hospital supports employee cycling for cancer cure
Lions club holds tea cosy expo
Parenting program at community centre
Strom Talk for World Environment Day
Collapse  FORUM FORUM
It takes a village ...
Sandplain lends itself to different drainage solution
Universities drive up house and rent prices
Stop outrageous boarding house development
Nasty mood at pre-poll booth
Metres of plastic propaganda is unacceptable
Demerit points are gained, not lost
Declare property portfolios and conflicts of interest
Climate action does not have much council commitment
Collapse  HEALTH HEALTH
Morning tea attracts 250 people
Aged care facility receives accreditation
New barbecue and dining area opened
Women urged to take advantage of BreastScreen van
Chinese dance treat
Exemplary staff receive awards
New nurse educator starts
Volunteering for 76 years
Collapse  ARTS ARTS
Jordan Richardson named as Archibald finalist
Artisan show planned for Wagstaffe hall
Literary lunch attracts 120
Bush poet speaks at Rotary club
Author talk at Woy Woy library
Collapse  EDUCATION EDUCATION
'Inconsiderate' parents endanger school children
Drama students perform Harry Potter
Request to not visit skate park before school
Ag students attend Beef Week at Wingham
Third in Woy Woy Cup competition
Rugby 7s gala
Nathan wins $50 for remembering pi
Campus contributes to Adopt a Farmer
Woy Woy South to get new roofing
Sensory garden benefits from planting
Peninsula students dominate touch football selection
Collapse  SPORT SPORT
Lions women retain top spot on soccer ladder
Ettalong venue for Senior Sides championships
Anja returns from Spain with silver medal
Fight night raises funds for PCYC programs
Umina in 11th place
Jemma Smith part of medal-winning contingent
Woy Woy's best performance despite defeat
Woy Woy does well in pennant competition
Margaret Smith narrowly defeated in grand final
Former Bunnies player signs with Melbourne Storm
Umina bowling club champion
Donations to children in Zambia
Umina United to celebrate 40th birthday
Young life savers attend Collaroy workshop

Sandplain lends itself to different drainage solution

The Central Coast Council media release quoted in Peninsula News "Everglades catchment drain upgrade completed" 29 April , tells us the upgrade "focussed on the section of drain that stretched from Carpenter St. to Glenn St" - fully 60 metres.

There are two sediment pits on Carpenter St and one on Glenn St.

From the Carpenter St. pit, there is a short pipe of around 40 metres to the open channel

I may be reading this wrongly, but half a million dollars seems a bit of an overspend.

If this figure is correct, what will it cost to implement future stages that "are currently in the design phase." And this is just the Everglades precinct.

On the positive side, at least Council is pushing the water in the right direction to Correa Bay, not the beaches.

Helpfully, Council's director tells us that this part of Umina Beach is "very flat" and that "flooding is often caused by build up of sediment in the drainage system that causes blockages."

There is an alarming problem with Council's thinking here.

This great flat sandplain lends itself to a different solution.

Most recent council drainage works have focused on directing all water to the Ocean Beach main drain with disastrous erosion consequences at the beach.

Modern thinking is to see cities as sponges and return excess and stormwater to the ground water system.

This "sponge" system requires little maintainence and is simple to install, especially when you have a sand base to act as sponge as we do.

Plumbers on my street were installing an absorption system last week on a new building and they do it frequently.

During the recent attempt by Council to flog off vacant blocks of land (local parks) it was put by several objectors that some of these blocks could be used as infiltration ponds.

Council's own consultant also had design plans for "trench drainage systems" that utilized "hydrophilic geotextile" matting coupled with structural lightweight void fill boxes to facilitate the transfer of stormwater to the groundwater system.

A company called Atlantis (atlantiscorp.com.au) supply these innovative systems. Look them up.

Umina and Ocean beaches had substantially rebuilt themselves before the storms in late May and early April.

The first storm took nearly a thousand cubic meters from just the Ocean Beach main drain outlet and the Ettymalong creek opening to Umina beach; and every small shower further eroded the beach until today it is a total mess.

The mayor is quoted: "This project is a great example of council delivering an innovative solution that makes a real difference to the lives of our community."

To my knowledge this tiny system hasn't been tested yet.

The next big rain event will be a test. It will also further erode our beaches.

I also dispute that this system is in anyway innovative.

Sediment traps are as old as agriculture.

The ancient street drainage, which existed on the Peninsula before the destructive kerb and guttering, incorporated open drains and sediment pits with some piping.

These old systems still exist in some parts of Umina.

They are identified by concrete pads sitting on bricks to raise them above the pits.

The concrete lids are too heavy to be removed manually and the street water is absorbed into the sand with excess flowing into the opening on each side, simple, efficient and the lids can be removed for cleaning out the sediment.

Your article concludes "Future stages of the Everglades catchment drainage project are currently in the design phase."

Let's hope the city's drainage engineers try burying their heads in the sand.

They couldn't do worse, and they might learn something.





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