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Inverloch dune works preferred option

11/11/2022

1 Comment

 
PictureThe shaded area shows dune vegetation on the Inverloch beach that has been swept away
between 2010 and 2020.
By Philip Heath
 
THE South Gippsland Conservation Society (SGCS) supports the Inverloch Surf Beach dune renourishment option outlined in the Coastal Hazard Assessment summaries that were recently released by the Victorian Government’s Cape to Cape Resilience Project team.
 
It is critical to the future of the surf beach, the ecological and cultural values of the vegetated dunes and the safety of adjoining residences that the remaining dunes are protected.

PictureWreck Creek coastline
Based on the findings of the Coastal Hazard Assessment consultants and our own research, increasing the resilience of the remaining dunes by renourishment, combined with constructing one or more groynes to hold the sand on the surf beach, provide the best means of sustaining the beach in its current, highly valued form.

The other short-listed engineering adaptation actions assessed in the summary all have serious negative consequences – an extended rock wall would result in the lowering of sand levels and eventual loss of the surf beach, while the nearshore breakwater option would completely change its character.

We’re encouraged by the scale of the proposed renourishment action, involving importing around 100,000 cubic metres of sand to Flat Rocks and another 100,000 to 200,000 to the main surf beach. These volumes have been determined to achieve protection of the remaining dunes through to 2040, giving more time for long-term adaptation planning pathways to be progressed.

The success of the Parks Victoria dune renourishment, undertaken on either side of the Cape Paterson Road rock wall in June this year, has demonstrated how effective renourishment can be.

Our latest beach monitoring showing that the Wreck Creek coastline has been stable over the winter. We understand that the Parks Victoria works involved around 2,500 cubic metres of sand, so renourishment in excess of 100,000 cubic metres would add significant resilience to the dune system over the 91 per cent of the surf beach that has remained unprotected.

We look forward to the release of the full Coastal Hazard Assessment report, so future discussions can be fully informed by the detailed investigations undertaken by the project consultants.

The Society also urges the Cape to Cape team to complete their Stage 2 investigations as soon as possible to enable the finally agreed action to be costed, funded and implemented without further significant delay.
​
Philip Heath is leader of the South Gippsland Conservation Society’s Coastal Resilience Project.

1 Comment
Edward Minty
13/11/2022 01:34:39 pm

I think that the dune renourishment option outlined by Philip Heath makes sense as an immediate response to buy time and maintain the character of the beach. Some of the other suggested engineered-solutions seem heavy handed in that they would drastically change the character of the beach, be very expensive but not guaranteed to provide a permanent solution. We have not yet seen the exponential increase in ocean and atmospheric energy that is coming later this century. Nothing will hold back the consequences of climate change 50-100 years from now. We are currently tipping atmospheric and oceanic systems beyond the point of no return and as they gather momentum, like a train taking off from rest, there will be no quick fixes. In terms of forward planning, I would recommend that the State Government develop a team of young geotechnical graduates and equip them to map the depth and distribution of competent bedrock along our coastlines because the only ground we can expect to hold is that terrain with resistant bedrock to a level that exceeds the anticipated rise in sea level and associated storm surges. This dataset should be published on Local Government property maps together with existing datasets on bushfire-risk and flooding risk. Risk assessment is already part of the responsibility of of Local and State Government, which just need to adapt to ongoing risks associated with irreversible climate change.

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