Dump set for beaches

John Van Klaveren
STATE Government will pour imported sand onto Geelong’s Eastern Beach as part of a controversial renourishment project.
The Government said an independent consultant had approved the sand replacement on the popular strand, along with beaches at Portarlington and Clifton Springs.
Objectors fear the $80,000 project to relocate thousands of tonnes of sand from Gippsland to the three sites would be an environmental threat and a waste of money after the beaches washed away again.
A Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesperson said the project would include some foreshore stabilisation work.
“The projects will improve beach amenity and provide a storm buffer to protect the foreshore,” the spokesperson said.
City of Greater Geelong and Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee would carry out the works over the next 12 months.
The department spokesperson said the project would include community consultation.
“The projects are at an early stage. Design and planning has not yet commenced.”
Geelong Environment Council president Joan Lindros told the Independent last month that the project was a “quick fix”.
She said storms were responsible for the loss of beach sand, so replacing it was a waste of time and money.
Drysdale Clifton Springs Community Association president Doug Carson expressed similar concerns to the Independent last month, saying the Government had failed to consult residents.
Mr Carson said Clifton Springs had lost at least 50 to 100 metres of beach in the past two years, which required a “considered and studied process” rather than a quick fix.
He was concerned about the potential environmental impact of sand from a distant source with a different ecology.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings announced a $6 million Government “enhancement program” for beaches in April.
He defended the project as a way to “revitalise” beaches.
“The beaches around Port Phillip Bay and Corio Bay attract millions of visitors each year, which is why the Brumby Labor Government is taking action to ensure they remain attractive and functional for everyone to enjoy,” he said.
“Over the next two years they will receive tonnes of sand and have restoration and revegetation work done on them to bring them back to the high standard the community expects.”