Swansea Channel dredging put off until 2023

The planned dredging campaign for the Swansea Channel before Christmas has been delayed until next year.

In the December update from Transport for NSW, the State government said the planned dredging campaign before the holiday period has had to be put off until February next year due to the presence of endangered shore birds that are nesting on a sand island.

Nesting season finishes in February.

But in some slightly better news, an alternative navigational route has been uncovered – ongoing monitoring has found the “Airforce Channel” which runs east-west between Naru Point and the Lake has been naturally deepening and is now an appropriate alternative route into Lake Macquarie.

Swansea MP Yasmin Catley is disappointed at the latest update from Transport for NSW and said its even more worrying the sand that will be dredged won’t be taken straight to Blacksmiths Beach.

She said the sand that will be dredged early next year will be stockpiled on sand islands instead of being taken straight to the beach to renourish it.