Kempsey Shire Council successfully carried out excavation on Thursday to open up the entrance to Killick Creek and relieve the impact of sand erosion at Crescent Head.
After moving swiftly to obtain relevant regulatory approvals a Council team began digging a channel on Thursday morning, with work continuing into the evening.
Over the past few months a combination of tides and weather patterns led to the creation of a sand bank at the entrance to Killick Creek. Council staff have been monitoring this and in recent days became increasingly concerned. While the preferred response is to wait for natural resolution, action was taken on Thursday once the risk to the nearby sand dunes and infrastructure became significant.
The excavation required a temporary closure of the beach. Council would like to thank all beachgoers for their patience and understanding for while a number residents and visitors gathered to watch proceedings, the day passed without incident.
Kempsey Shire Council’s Manager Infrastructure Delivery, Dylan Reeves, reminded beach users to exercise extra caution using the area due to the changed conditions.
“Council teams worked tirelessly yesterday and into the night to clear the entrance with a view to having work completed prior to the beginning of school holidays,” said Mr Reeves.
“The results have been terrific and there has been no significant sand movement overnight to require any work on Friday and we are optimistic the creek will now keep to its traditional course.”
“While the beach isn’t closed, we have warning signs stating that there are dangerous conditions. There are also barriers in place around the higher risk areas. People can use the area with caution but should avoid eroded edges and steep sand faces.”
Mr Reeves thanked the community for their patience and looked forward to everyone enjoying the area over the school holiday period.
“We don’t anticipate that we will need to return to take more action, but that will be dependent on weather patterns, as the movement of the sand is beyond our control for the moment.”
The reopened Killick Creek on Friday morning
