West Crab Island channel dredging key to north-south connection
The Gold Coast Waterways Authority’s (GCWA) first dredging project for 2023 has kicked off at the northern end of the West Crab Island channel.
It’s good news for avid fishers, local business operators and boaties who enjoy the Paradise Point, Ephraim Island and Sovereign Island areas.
The West Crab Island Channel (north) dredging will focus on bed levelling and dredging of sand shoals, with approximately 23,000 cubic metres of sand to be removed and beneficially reused to nourish the open beach at Narrowneck.
Other benefits of the dredging project include:
- Enabled access for deeper draft vessels
- Improved safety through the removal of shoaling
- Enhanced channel connectivity, including an improved north-south linkage
- Easier access to Ephraim Island Marina and the Sovereign Island canal system.
The project also consolidates on GCWA’s significant dredging work in 2020, which saw 30,000 cubic metres of sand removed from the channel’s south end, supporting access to marinas, manufacturing precincts, service centres and the canals to the west of the channel.
There will be some minor restrictions in the waterway during the West Crab Island Channel (north) dredging campaign. A trailer hopper dredge and bed leveller will be operating in the channel, which may at times restrict vessel access during the works period.
Dredging is scheduled to be complete by April 2023. Further details on the West Crab Island Channel North dredging project can be found in this factsheet.
The West Crab Island channel north dredging project is part of a $50.4 million investment in the Gold Coast’s waterways over four years, through the Gold Coast Waterways Authority Waterways Management Program.
The Waterways Management Program also includes an additional $5 million to be spent each year over the next four years, further lifting GCWA capacity to deliver dredging, marine infrastructure projects, maintenance on the Sand Bypass System, and more.
The services to be delivered under the granted funding between 2022-2026 are:
- Dredging navigation channels
- Upgrade and maintenance of the Sand Bypass System
- Marine infrastructure and destinations
- Management and maintenance of Trustee Land Reserves.
