LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Pictured above: Nelly Bay beach July 2015. Photo Debbie Denison

Nelly Bay Beach re-nourishment program started with  the State Development of Nelly Bay Harbour Environmental Impact statement of 1998, where there was a commitment with the Townsville City Council to “as ongoing maintenance, the Gustav Creek sediment trap will be cleaned regularly. The sand removed from the trap will be placed on the beach to the south of the site” . The word at the time was that the TCC would be handsomely paid to conduct the chore being paid by the high rates gleaned from the  harbour precinct properties.

This Commitment has never been kept despite being adequately rewarded.

A sand trap was dug which filled with leaf litter then sand, turning the sand black then  each wet season, the overflowing sand trap would spill into the harbour till about 2010 the TCC took 30 years’ worth of Nelly Bay beach replenishment sand from the Gustav Creek canal in the harbour, to the Picnic Bay dump. The story was that it was dirty and couldn’t be placed on the beach.

With that same “Dirty sand” reasoning the sand from the planned future dredging is to be taken to 55 Kelly Street or where ever BUT not to Nelly Bay beach where the sand is supposed to go. The  sand is NOT earmarked to go back to the beach. Point is that not only the Gustav sand but also the Nelly Bay beach sand under Kelly Street bridge is being dumped. Everyone can see Nelly Bay beach has lost an enormous amount of sand, where the beach renourishment should have been maintained as per the 1998 EIS. Simple and cheap answer is to use a Hydro Cyclone to clean the sand onsite. The sub standard construction of the groyne wall (Concept is perfect)has not helped allowing the very sand it was to stop to surely infill the harbour although slower than before.

Is this criminal negligence by our State and local Governments and Bureaucrats?

Another item is that the Sooning street bridge construction is being somewhat delayed by concerns to Mangroves and a fish ladder. There was never any Mangroves in the creek bed adjacent to the bridge before it was built and how can a Fish Ladder work going from the sea side to a sandy creek bed? There is a “low flow channel” that was installed under the bridge that allowed lower tidal interchange to nowhere. The tide is the fish ladder with anything over three meter tide flowing up Gustav brings all sorts of Marine critters up to my place as has done since before Uncle Jimmy called past.

Sincerely,

Mike Schmidt.

Nelly Bay