“Many recreational craft of all sizes are being impacted by the shoaling, particularly vessels such as keeled sailing boats.

“This transport and tourism related project also provides the potential to address regional interconnectivity challenges including traffic congestion on the M1 during peak periods and the closure of major roads during natural disasters and motor accidents by developing a reliable alternative route to Sydney.” The briefing said the proposed large-scale dredging exercise would be “an opportunity to place the dredged sand on Ocean Beach, thus making good some of the effects of recent severe beach and dune erosion. “There are commercial benefits to the ferry service itself, and the local economy through visitor numbers.

Whilst indicating the $2.4 million dredging program may not start until 2019-20, the briefing document acknowledged the fact the new and larger public ferry was unable to pass through the channel was “of particular concern to many people”. It explained that the cost to dredge 80,000 cubic metres of sand would be just under $2.1 million with another $120,000 for approvals and $250,000 for mobilisation and demobilisation of the dredge. Council staff were “discussing options regarding the timing of this project with the State agencies as Council’s request identified a start date in 2019-20 financial year so that Council could allocate funding,” the briefing document said. A Central Coast Council briefing document, called Broken Bay Dredging, said the cost to Council under the Rescuing Our Waterways funding announced on September 12, would be $1.225 million but “no current budget exists”.

That could delay the return of ferry services to Ettalong and Wagstaffe until at least July 2019 when the Council’s next budget is adopted. No money exists in the Council’s 2018-19 budget to cover its half of the proposed $2.4 million dredging program for the Brisbane Water channel.

Budget benefit 2018 dredging