Dawesville Channel - Sand Dredging

Sand Dredging

As part of the construction, a sand trap immediately to the south of the sea opening was incorporated into the design to capture sand build up from the natural south to north movement along the coast caused by the predominant south-westerly winds. If the sand was not captured and mechanically moved, the channel would quickly close as there is insufficient water flow out of the channel to compensate for the build up.

Approximately 85,000 m³ of sand per year is mechanically moved from the south to the northern side of the channel. This is done by converting the build up in the catchment area into a slurry and pumping the mixture across the channel in one of two submerged 315 mm pipes.