Coastal Management - The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project

QUESTIONS - 
1. It became necessary to extend the Tweed River breakwaters because it became a hazard to shipping due to the sandbars that were forming across the river mouth. 


2. The impact of construction to the breakwaters meant that the river had to be periodically dredged of sand. The sand that was dredged was then taken to the Gold Coast where it was used for beach nourishment. 


3. The Tweed River became unsafe to shipping due to the continual sand build up that was occurring in the river mouth. The long term effects of long-shore transportation was also not accounted for. 


4. The dredging of Tweed River was a short term solution as it was expensive and had to occur on a continual basis in order to create a safe entrance to the Tweed River. 


5. TRESBP replicates long-shore drift by pumping sand from where it accumulates on the southern side of the Tweed River, via a system of popes, across the Tweed River to one of the four outlets where sand is released onto the beach. 


6. The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project (TRESBP) is a smart alternative to the build up of silt in the Tweed River Mouth. It creates a replacement to the coastal process of long-shore drift or transportation. The solution is simple and effective with the idea that it measures which beach needs the sand the most and places the pumped sand there. I do question whether going to all the effort is necessary. The sand pumping jetty could be considered an eyesore and the sand next to it is rarely replenished. A smart solution to this eye sore could be to add a board walk on top of the jetty, allowing leisurely activities for residents of the area. This makes it both practical and aesthetically pleasing. 


7. 

8.  Since 1962, very big changes have occurred to the mouth of the Tweed River. The river mouth has expanded and from the aerial view looks a lot deeper due to its colouring. In 1962, majority of the sand can be seen spilling into the river mouth compared to 1994 where the sand spillage is controlled and the river mouth is far deeper. 


9. In 1962 the break water was approximately 100metres long where as in 1994 it was around 500 metres.