The Department of Transport is hailing its flexible work program, expert advice and careful monitoring for the successful completion of annual sand bypassing at Dawesville.
Extra care was needed following the detection of a colony of an endangered Australian bird species nesting at Pyramids Beach.
Executive Director Maritime at the Department, Steve Jenkins said a colony of Australian Fairy Terns, a protected species, was found nesting on Pyramids Beach in January before work began.
“In response, we took advice from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Western Australian Fairy Tern Conservation Network on how to manage the bypassing campaign without disturbing the nesting colony,” Mr Jenkins said.
“The colony was one of the largest observed in the State in more than 10 years and contained the oldest known Fairy Tern in the world.”
He said drones were used to monitor the nests and works were timed to achieve the best possible outcome for the birds.
As a result there was no impact on the colony during the 11-week bypassing campaign that saw around 100,000 cubic metres of sand from Pyramids Beach pumped north of the entrance to the Dawesville Cut via pipes on the seabed.
“The bypassing project has ensured the entrance channel remains navigable and beaches located north of Dawesville receive the volume of sand they require to limit erosion in winter,” Mr Jenkins said.
He said that with the successful completion at Dawesville, the focus of coastal maintenance work would now move to the Mandurah Ocean Entrance for a similar sand bypassing and replenishment campaign.
“The work will see about 150,000 cubic metres of sand relocated prior to completion in November,” Mr Jenkins said.
