Any reason for having to dredge of Lobster Beach?

"Dredging of Lobster Beach next" (Peninsula News, October 14.) - Several things concern me about this proposal, the first being any reason for having to dredge off Lobster Beach.

One would think that dredging completed to the north would open a passage for extra water flow not only for boats but also for natural sediment transfer and thus clearing the "channel ".

Aerial photos show a narrow channel and a deep drop of adjacent to Box Head due south of Lobster Beach - Ideal seabed design for transfer of sand, erosion of the seabed.

Secondly, residents will have noticed massive dune and beach erosion at the south end of Umina Beach in early October.

This erosion event removed upward of 800 cubic meters of sand after a day of drizzle and a night of storm rain, not unusual of itself but locals were heard to remark that they had "never seen it like this before".

Days before this event, kiddies were seen driving a four wheel drive vehicle onto the beach at the Berrima Cres carpark.

Now it is a two meter high sand cliff.

Where does this sand and sand from all the other street drains that continually erode the beaches go?

Council has placed picture boards describing continual coastal sand movement from the south (Umina) to the north (Ettalong ).

Is continual dredging environmentally or financially sustainable?

What happens when the entire sandplain is fully overdeveloped and paved ?

Why is there no noise from the Peninsula Waterways Committee other than to act as a cheer squad for dredgers?

Recharge of aquifers with storm water is common practice in other places. The Chinese have elevated ground water recharge to an art form.

Our council has all the workings to clean, store and pump ground water into its water mains at its Woy Woy depot. Am I missing something?

Should the Waterways Committee resign or be sacked.?

Has council an engineer qualified to make recommendations on coastal processes and erosion?

Email, 24 Oct 2019

Bryan Elllis, Umina