WATTLE Range Council has allocated an additional $40,000 from this financial year’s budget for a one-off dig to remove sand at the Beachport Boat Ramp.
Councillors voted in support of the budget variation which will be used to excavate a sand bar across the mouth of the boat ramp.
Since February 5, the facility has been non-operational during times of low tide to combat potential damage to boats from the build up.
In supporting the motion, Kintore Councillor Peter Dunnicliff referenced the flurry of letters of support for the boat ramp from locals and visitors.
“I think the amount of letters that have come in lately is a realisation of the importance of the boat ramp to Beachport residents and even people that do not live there,” he said.
“I think it spurred people to let council know how important it is to them.
“I know myself and the visitor information centre field a lot of calls from interstate people about the boat ramp.
“I think the boat ramp was taken for granted by the Beachport residents until the situation in February.”
Last year, council engaged contractors to dredge the boat ramp basin over four days, with an additional two days of excavation near the pontoons.
Following the dredging, a survey showed depth in the mouth of the boat ramp and a shallow area near the pontoons.
On February 1, a sand bar started to form at a “rapid rate”.
Cr Kevin McGrath encouraged an alternative approach to sand management, including putting breaches in the ramp wall.
“I think we need to start utilising alternate measures to try to alleviate the problem,” he said.
“It’s a bit like the village idiot trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
“Instead of manually moving the same, why not agitate the sand when the currents are there?
“Try putting a breach in the wall of the ramp, probably about 30 metres from the actual end, and also at the end of the pontoons so you have two lots of currents to come through.”
