Public urged to have their say on 10‑year Swansea Channel dredging plan

newy.com.au – Boaters and residents are being asked to comment on a 10‑year dredging plan for Swansea Channel, with a new environmental review now on public exhibition for feedback.

The proposal is part of a joint effort by the Australian, NSW and local governments to keep the entrance between Lake Macquarie and the ocean safely navigable, after decades of concerns about shoaling and closures. Lake Macquarie City Council has been allocated $10 million from the Australian Government to deliver a new dredge and sand transfer system, while Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has secured $6 million from the state’s Boating Infrastructure and Dredging Scheme to run operations for the next five years.

A Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been prepared to cover dredging “when needed” over the next decade, providing the environmental approval required to install and operate the long‑term system and carry out future campaigns. TfNSW says the document outlines potential environmental and social impacts and will guide how work is staged to maintain safe and reliable access through the channel.

Once the new system is operating, an engineering firm working with council says the Beaver 30 dredge will be capable of removing more than 1,000 cubic metres of sand a day, pumping it ashore through an overland pipeline to nourish nearby beaches. The current REF consultation follows several recent maintenance campaigns and precedes another stage of upkeep dredging planned for 2026.

Under the plan, an initial large dredging campaign would cut a navigational channel in the main arm of Swansea Channel up to 60 metres wide and 3.5 metres below Australian Height Datum, extending between Miners Point and The Drop Over. Once that depth and width are achieved, smaller maintenance campaigns would occur as sand builds up again.

A new sand transfer system would carry dredged material via a 330mm‑diameter pipeline from work areas near Marks Point and Swan Bay across to Nine Mile Beach, close to Belmont Golf and Bowls. A diesel pump housed in an insulated container would operate only during dredging campaigns and standard work hours, with most of the pipeline running above ground and short buried sections near the Pacific Highway. At Nine Mile Beach the sand would be pumped into a bunded area so excess water can drain before machinery spreads it along the beach or closer to the shoreline.

If required, sand from the offshore Drop Over shoal could also be placed on Elizabeth Island rather than sent through the transfer station, which the project team says is more efficient and would help support Little Tern habitat on the island. A work compound is proposed on Nine Mile Beach to store machinery during dredging, with additional temporary work areas along Docker Street and at Marks Point to build the pipeline and launch the dredge vessel.

TfNSW says it has worked with Lake Macquarie City Council and other agencies while developing the REF and is now seeking broader community input before finalising the document and publishing a submissions report. Feedback can be lodged through the NSW Government’s Have Your Say portal until 21 December 2025, and drop‑in information sessions will be held at Swansea Channel Library’s Ocean Room on Monday 8 December from 3pm to 6pm and Tuesday 9 December from 10am to 1pm.

Frustration about the length of the dredging debate was a common theme on social media. “This has been going on since before my daughter was born and she’s thirty next month!” Andrew Woodman wrote, while another commenter described the latest process as “smoke and mirrors, less than 28 days to respond, Christmas is basically upon us!”.

Once the REF consultation closes, TfNSW will review submissions, refine the plan and seek approval so routine dredging can continue under the new decade‑long framework.