Dredging of Swansea Channel

Work has started as the NSW Government prepares to dredge the Swansea Channel for the summer boating season.  

Crown Lands in the Department of Planning and Environment has assessed and approved a 12-month dredging licence application for the Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office (MIDO) at Transport for NSW.

The licence will allow for an annual maximum of 30,000 cubic metres of sand to be removed from the Swansea Channel bed to create a 30-metre-wide navigable channel for vessels.

The dredging will occur in areas of Crown waterway which form part of the channel, extending from the Pelican Foreshore in the south, including the channels south-west and east of Elizabeth Island.

Transport for NSW completed a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) to support its licence application which will be subject to environmental conditions.

Measures will be put in place to protect environmentally sensitive areas including buffer areas to prevent disturbance of seagrass and daily water quality monitoring.

A Shorebird Management Plan has been developed that specifically addresses the protection and habitat creation for the Pied Oystercatcher.

GPM Marine has been appointed to carry out the dredging.

Site establishment and preparation works now under way mark the start of the dredging project and sand pumping will begin in August.

Minister for Transport Jo Haylen said the dredging work will get Swansea and the Lake Macquarie Region ready for the summer ahead.

“Removing years of build-up from the Swansea Channel will make it safer and easier for boat users in the region,” Ms Haylen said.

"Our aim is to get the first round of work done by the end of November, so everyone in and around Swansea and the broader Lake Macquarie region can make the most of the summer boating season."

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 are crucial to maintain safe navigation channels and harbour entrances or to meet other coastal management needs.”