South Australia’s Department for Environment and Water (DEW) has begun a September operation to dredge up to 90,000 cubic metres of sand for two Adelaide beaches.
Sand is being collected from a nearshore area immediately south of the North Haven Marina breakwater and transported by barge to West Beach and Henley Beach South.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has licensed the work following its review of the project’s environmental management arrangements and submissions made during the public consultation. DEW is managing the operation under an approved Dredge Management Plan and associated monitoring plans.
At the receiving areas, sand will go directly onto the seabed and waves will move it shoreward. If water depth at West Beach rules out direct barge placement, it may be positioned nearer the shoreline with a cutter suction dredge and pipeline diffuser.
Monitoring will measure water quality and noise throughout the operation. Seagrass around the dredging and placement areas will also be monitored under a separate plan.
During the 2024 dredging trial, water quality stayed within the EPA’s trigger and alarm limits throughout the work. The trial recorded no direct effects on seagrass that could be linked to dredging or sand placement, and its findings informed the controls for the September operation.
The beaches will stay open, although vessels involved in dredging and related equipment will operate near the shoreline. Some on-water activities may be briefly disrupted while sand is collected and placed.
The dredging is the first stage of an AU$190 million ($136 million) coastal programme planned over 20 years between West Beach and North Haven. Nearly AU$56 million was allocated over five years in South Australia’s 2026–27 State Budget.
From 2027, about 400,000 cubic metres of sand is due to be delivered to West Beach over two years. An estimated 90,000 cubic metres will then be returned annually to central Adelaide beaches where monitoring indicates it is required. Reviews are planned after five and 10 years.
The Adelaide Beach Management Review found that West Beach and Henley Beach South require up to 550,000 cubic metres of sand for restoration. West Beach loses an average of about 90,000 cubic metres each year as waves, wind and storms gradually move sand northward along the metropolitan coast.
West Beach Boat Harbour also restricts sand accumulation on the beaches immediately north of it. As losses continue, beaches may become narrower, reducing protection for nearby roads, buildings, beach facilities and other infrastructure.
The long-term programme will rely on dredging, keeping trucks off beaches. Annual supplies are expected to be sourced from four locations on the water spanning the Torrens Outlet to Largs North, among them Semaphore and the area between Grange and Tennyson.
