Dredging of Ettalong Channel

Dredging will get underway in Ettalong Channel on the Central Coast to clear excess sand that is impacting boating following assessment and approval of a dredging licence.

Crown Lands in the Department of Planning and Environment has approved a 12-month licence for Transport for NSW’s Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office (MIDO) to conduct maintenance dredging in the channel.

The licence to dredge the channel, located at the entrance to Brisbane Water, will see up to 30,000 cubic metres of sand removed to provide a safe navigable channel for vessels.

Transport for NSW completed a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) to support its licence application, with measures to be put in place to protect environmentally-sensitive areas, including establishing buffer areas to prevent the disturbance of sea grasses.

The Crown Land Management Act 2016 allows for the granting of licences for dredging in Crown waterways subject to assessments of environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts.

Applications such as this support safe navigation channels and harbour entrances, and recognise the importance of waterways as an environmental, social and economic asset supporting recreational and commercial boating.