Eurobodalla Council undertook a one-off round of beach scraping at Surfside last month. The work to repair erosion on the East Beach reserve involved shifting sand from the intertidal zone to rebuild the dune.
Council's coordinator of natural resources Heidi Thomson says the rebuild was done using a bulldozer - with jute matting laid down to stabilise the dune and 3,000 plants to be put in next weekend.
"The work is a short-term buffer against the sea, buying residents some breathing time and allowing the dune time to settle. Residents and visitors can help the process by not walking on the dune area until it has stabilised," Ms Thomson says.
"It's short-term protection in response to strong community concern, with emergency funding from the NSW Government's emergency works funding stream. Longer-term solutions will depend on sand movement and coastal processes well beyond Council's reach."
With the scraped sand settling, the Surfside Landcare group and residents will replant the dune with native coastal species. Transport for NSW are dredging the nearby channel, moving sand offshore where it will nourish Surfside's east and west beaches over coming months.
"We hope these combined activities help the shoreline recover naturally over time," Ms Thomson says.
"While beach scraping is not a sustainable approach to coastal erosion at this location, Council will continue to monitor the beach to gauge its effectiveness. The University of NSW is also setting up a long-term monitoring program to track offshore sand movement and provide guidance for future coastal management."
