Info night on storm damage

The City of Wanneroo will hold the October 23 meeting following a groundswell of concern from residents about damage to the foreshore along Ocean Drive in recent weeks.

Following questions by a resident at last week’s council meeting, Mayor Tracy Roberts said she would chair the meeting.

Mrs Roberts said the meeting would include presentations by the City, with Department of Transport representatives and coastal engineering consultants present too.

She said the meeting would be recorded, with a report available afterwards for those who do not attend, and that the City intended to hold more public meetings to the address the issues.

The transport department announced last week that it had started remediation works with several local governments following September’s storms.

Transport services managing director Nina Lyhne said strong north-westerly winds and high waves during three consecutive storms in September damaged infrastructure, and eroded dunes and beaches along 800km of coastline, including in Quinns Rock.

The department received reports of more than 10m of shoreline erosion there, where a playground nearly collapsed into the sea.

‘During one of the storms, high waves persistently attacked WA’s beaches for more than three days, coinciding with high tides and a peak storm surge,’ Ms Lyhne said.

The department’s coastal infrastructure executive director Steve Jenkins said it provided specialist coastal advice to ensure local governments understood and adapted to coastal hazards.

‘DoT is working closely with the City of Wanneroo to implement suitable short-term measures while investigation work continues for a sustainable long-term management option,’ he said.

‘The complexity of the variable wave climate and the sediment interaction with existing groynes at Quinns Rocks beach makes the selection of management options a difficult process.’

Mr Jenkins said the department had given the City two $50,000 coastal adaptation and protection grants to investigate coastal processes at Quinns Beach, in 2012-13 and 2014-15.

Two coastal engineers from the department will attend tomorrow’s event to answer technical questions.

The City’s infrastructure director Dennis Blair said they appointed coastal engineering consultants to investigate and prepare a construction design for revetments south of the groyne.

‘Consultants are investigating the use of sand filled geo-textile bags for the construction of revetments, which will involve the bags being placed along the embankment,’ he said.

‘The design will be reviewed by the City in consultation with the Department of Transport, and subject to council approval the tender process is likely to begin mid-November.’

Mr Blair said they were also reviewing a proposal to collect further coastal data and evaluate long-term options.

He said they had to close the car park again on October 11 after boulders settled, causing minor damage to the access road.

‘Like any other beach, Quinns Beach is subject to complex coastal processes and use is dependent on such natural factors,’ he said.

‘All efforts are being made to ensure that Quinns Beach, north of groyne 1, is available to beachgoers during the forthcoming summer.

‘Use of the beach south of groyne 1 will be subject to ongoing monitoring and construction of revetments.’

Butler MLA John Quigley will present a petition calling for urgent action, with more than 2000 signatures, to State Parliament this week, as well as giving a grievance and presenting photos of Quinns Rocks foreshore.