3 days ago
Send in the sand: Stockton beach once again crippled by devastating erosion
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
IF you ask the locals, Stockton beach is living on borrowed time.
As the small peninsula community waits for the next step in the NSW government's long-running quest for mass sand nourishment, once again City of Newcastle has been forced to undertake temporary works to make the beach safe.
Recent storms have severely eroded the beach again. At high tide, there is literally no beach left.
So much sand has been washed away, swimmers report it's left rocks and concrete exposed below the waterline.
Steep drop-offs have forced City of Newcastle to bring heavy machinery in on low tide this week to recontour the beach to slow further sand loss.
Fisherman Gary Evans has been coming to Stockton since he was a boy.
The 57-year-old said it was hard to find a good patch of sand these days and described the state of the beach as "really sad".
"It used to take ages to walk to the waterline, but now you're lucky to find any sand if the tide is up," he said.
"We all know that Stockton's problems are caused by the harbour breakwaters trapping the sand at Nobbys, it's not like the problems faced at other beaches. This one is different, and the damage is not going to stop."
A council spokesman said sand scraping to recontour the beach was done up to five times yearly.
"This involves scraping sand from the lower part of the beach and depositing it close to land to support and accelerate the natural processes of sand accumulation, to increase dune resilience ahead of mass sand nourishment," he said.
"The current campaign lasts just two days ... more than 600 cubic metres of sand was moved on average per day."
The Newcastle Herald reported in March that public assets at the northern end of the beach are under "immediate threat" due to the impact of relentless coastal erosion, according to a new report.
The warning, contained in the draft Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan, proposed a medium to long-term plan to manage ongoing sand movement between Little Beach and the Port Stephens local government boundary.
The report's authors note that the extended plan is crucial for the long-term future of the Stockton community, which remains under constant threat from the devastating impacts of erosion.
"Coastal erosion at Stockton has proceeded beyond an acceptable natural sandy buffer, and the remaining buffer does not provide an adequate level of coastal protection or beach amenity," the report says.
"A probabilistic coastal erosion and recession hazard assessment, using the targeted findings of the Stockton Beach Sand Movement Study, concluded that the Extended Stockton Coastal Management Plan area is currently at high to extreme risk, with public assets under immediate threat, requiring urgent protection, and private assets anticipated to be under threat over the longer term."
Immediate efforts are focused on sand renourishment at the southern end of Stockton.
The state government committed $21 million towards the work during the 2023 election campaign.
Mr Evans said he was hopeful the election commitment would turn into actual dollars to get sand back on the beach in a NSW first mass sand renourishment program.
"It's the state government infrastructure causing the problem," he said. "We would really like to see this offshore dredging program we have all heard so much about actually provide a long-term solution."
City of Newcastle has spent $16.5 million combating relentless erosion at Stockton over the past decade. Many of the measures have been temporary or in response to storm damage.
The council's spokesman said a further $21.41 million of future costs were budgeted under the draft Stockton coastal management plan.
"City of Newcastle is of course keenly awaiting next week's State Budget to learn if the promised $21 million will be announced to ensure the seamless delivery and maintenance of mass sand nourishment at Stockton in the longer term," said.
