A build-up of sand in a busy waterway is set to come to a head when community groups meet with government.
Mountains of sand have clogged parts of the Pumicestone Passage since a tidal breakthrough at Bribie IslandĀ in January.
The Caloundra Coast Guard has essentially been blocked in and other boaties have been restricted at low tide.
Meanwhile, community groups also hold concerns over the future of the passage and its surrounds. A 2009 study revealed possible impacts of a breakthrough,Ā including increased tidal range, higher levels of foreshore erosion and loss of dune habitat.
SUBSCRIBE here nowĀ for our FREE news feed, direct to your inbox daily!
Representatives from Caloundra Coast Guard, Take Action for Pumicestone Passage, Bill’s Boat Hire and Caloundra ferries will meet with State Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt, Sunshine Coast Council officials, hydrologists and Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Kel Dillon on Friday, October 21, to address the issues.
Caloundra Coast Guardās initial plea to have sand dredged was rejectedĀ in late August but the groupās commander Roger Pearce hoped the idea will be discussed further on Friday.
āThey (MSQ) have said no to dredging at this stage but ā¦ weāll talk this through,ā he said.
āWeāre still quietly confident that we can turn the decision around.ā
Mr Pearce expected there would be significant backlash from the local community if dredging wasnāt seriously considered again.
āIf they say no to it, there will be a massive community outcry,ā he said.
āI reckon we could get 100,000+ signatures for a parliamentary petition in absolutely no time.ā
Caloundra Coast Guard received a reprieve recently, when they welcomed a new boat that can traverse shallow water, but Mr Pearce said more needs to be done in the passage.
To read a recent related story, click here: New life-saving resource enables Coast Guard to overcome passage problems
He hoped dredging could take place within the waterway’s āsecondary channelā.
āThe answer we were provided with a month ago doesnāt seem to stack up ā them (MSQ) saying the passage would be filled with sand again if they attempted some dredging,ā he said.
āOur argument is to get that secondary passage dredged, and that could give us full access with all three of our vessels and allow Caloundra ferries to access Caloundra again.ā
He said dredging might not be the ultimate solution, but it was worth trying.
āI think with a bit of persuasion from the community, it will happen, but until we trial it, we wonāt know if it works.ā
Maritime Safety Queensland General Manager Kell Dillon told Sunshine Coast News in late August that conditions were not stable in the passage and dredging could be pointless.
āThe ocean breakthrough at Bribie Island has resulted in a dynamic coastal system which is yet to establish equilibrium, particularly with changes in wave action following winter and ongoing South-East Queensland severe weather events,ā he said.
āAny dredging carries a very high risk of sand re-filling the works in a very short time.”
āNo works are recommended until a clear understanding of the likely outcome is known.ā
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor with your name and suburb at Sunshine Coast News via: news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au