Reef not part of the plan

By Catherine Watson

THE battle to save Silverleaves beach and its magnificent coastal banksias has taken a new twist, with Bass Coast councillors demanding answers on coastal protection works including an artificial offshore reef.

Except the plans don’t exist. An offshore reef is not proposed in the East Cowes and Silverleaves Adaptation Plan, released by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) last October.

Instead, the plan recommends a hybrid living-shoreline approach, combining a low rock sill to reinstate the original coastline, with native intertidal planting, beach nourishment and dune reconstruction.

A detailed design is expected by November, followed by a tender process, with construction intended to begin in April.

The Victorian and federal governments have each allocated $1.4 million for works to tackle the continuing erosion, which has accelerated along the eastern stretch of Silverleaves beach since a rock-bag wall was installed last year.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, Island Ward councillor Tim O’Brien moved the motion for the council to seek a briefing from DEECA to explain the cost, location and visibility of an artificial reef at different tides, and the potential hazards to boating, sailing and other water activities.

It also seeks a comparison between the cost of the reef and additional permeable groynes, an assessment of the cost and feasibility of removing the reef if it failed.

He said residents wanted to be sure proposed works would protect the beach without creating new problems or permanently changing its character.

Cr Ron Bauer, who seconded the motion, warned that an offshore reef could pose a serious hazard to boats, particularly at high tide.

Councillors unanimously supported the motion, which requested a report to be presented to the December 9 meeting and made available to the Silverleaves community. 

Following the meeting, Silverleaves Conservation Association (SCA) president Louise Hill said an artificial reef had been discussed as one of several possible solutions, but was not the preferred option.

She said consultants FSC Range had advised that although Geelong City Council’s two artificial reef projects – Ramblers Reef and Dell Eco Reef – had been successful, the approach was unlikely to work in the Silverleaves environment, where the offshore seabed is predominantly sand rather than rock.

The adaptation plan instead proposes a low-profile rock sill at the most eroded section to reduce wave energy and support native salt-tolerant plants, helping to stabilise sediment and rebuild intertidal habitat.

Beach nourishment and dune reconstruction would complement the sill, with a 100 to 200-metre trial proposed before the approach is extended further.

The plan identifies benefits beyond erosion control, including improved habitat and biodiversity, a more natural-looking shoreline and the ability for vegetation to migrate inland as sea levels rise.

If the measures fail to establish or adequately control erosion, further beach nourishment or a rock revetment are identified as alternatives.

Several of the SCA members, including Ms Hill, are on the community reference group for the Silverleaves works and she said they had been kept well informed by the coastal erosion projects team now operating out of DEECA’s Barwon office.

“We are confident that the experts have been engaged and that DEECA and the State Government have taken their advice. 

 “SCA have taken the position all along that we are not the experts. It’s a very dynamic coastal environment. Who are we to say there should be an artificial reef or where the groynes should go?

Ms Hill acknowledged residents’ anxiety about the continuing erosion east of the rock-bag wall and concerns that the available funding might not stretch far enough.

“It might look like nothing’s happening but a lot of work has gone on in the background. There is a fair amount of commitment from the State Government to fix this.”

The council’s requested briefing from DEECA will help to clarify which works are actually proposed, why they have been chosen and how the $2.8 million budget will be spent.

More information: https://engage.vic.gov.au/silverleaves-coastal-adaptation-pathways