Seawall ‘Toe’ Protection Work Underway

Dunedin (Wednesday, 4 June 2014) – Some 250 – 300 tonnes of rock will be deposited on St Clair Beach this week to maintain and protect the ‘toe’ of the seawall panels.

From today until Saturday, trucks will be accessing the St Clair promenade and an excavator will be on the beach placing the rocks along the wall during low tide.

Last week Fulton Hogan staff removed the last section of the St Clair Surf Life Saving Club’s former access ramp, as it appeared to have been contributing to significant sand depletion around the seawall in that area.

Dunedin City Council Roading Maintenance Engineer Peter Standring says, ”We have been monitoring sand levels at the seawall base over the past year. We noticed the ramp was creating turbulence and its removal revealed that some rock protection had been washed away and eroded.

“Depositing the new rock is part of the general maintenance of the seawall, preventing the need for emergency work down the track.

“This type of maintenance is ‘par for the course’ for the foreseeable future. We can expect ongoing seawall monitoring and maintenance, which more than likely will involve getting on to the beach every six months with a digger, and may involve rock work.”

As with last week’s ramp removal, an area of the beach will be cordoned off at times to enable machinery to be brought on to the site safely. Barriers will also be installed on a section of the promenade to ensure the safety of both contractors and the public.

There is no indication there is any further risk to the sea wall at this point and it is expected that, as has occurred in the past, the sand will return when the season and currents change.

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