Jimmy’s Beach is located on the northern side of Port Stephens, near Newcastle in NSW, Australia.  For many years, erosion of the beach has threatened nearby homes, requiring the Mid Coast Council to regularly replenish the beach using trucks and excavators. Following a review of their options, Mid Coast Council decided to construct a Sand Transfer Station which would pump sand from a stockpile on the Winda Woppa spit to the re-nourishment zones on Jimmy’s Beach. In doing so, Mid Coast Council hoped to reduce long term operational costs, as well as reducing the noise, pollution, and disturbance to residents caused by the trucking of sand onto the beach.

 

CCB Envico designed and constructed the Sand Transfer Station over a period of approximately 12 months, between July 2018 and July 2019. Starting with a concept design supplied by Mid Coast Council, CCB Envico prepared a detailed design, focussing on minimising capital and operational costs, while delivering a robust final product that will serve the local community for many years. In addition to the design and construction of the plant, CCB Envico also successfully undertook the commissioning and initial operation of the plant, transferring 20,000m3 of sand to Jimmy’s Beach during the winter of 2019.

 

By partnering with sand slurry design specialists and using cutting edge slurry pumping equipment, CCB Envico was able to deliver the project on time and under budget, delivering sand to the beach immediately after a severe erosion event which had exposed the foundations of the adjacent road. 

 

Local stakeholder engagement

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The design and construction of the Sand Transfer Station impacted many local stakeholders. These included local residents who were impacted by construction works on the beach, as well as residents of the wider area who stood to benefit from the successful re-nourishment of the beach.  Throughout the design and construction process, CCB Envico took care to minimise construction impacts on residents where possible, and to engage positively with residents in order to allay their concerns.

 

In addition to local residents, the works also had the potential to impact negatively on the local environment, from the risk of sediment discharge into pristine waterways, to the disturbance of nesting birds.  Through careful management of programme and implementation of best practice construction methodologies, CCB Envico successfully protected the environment, working proactively with representatives of the NSW EPA.

 

Impact on the community

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The construction of the Jimmy’s Beach Sand Transfer Station has provided the local community with the ability to protect their beach and their homes from the threat of coastal erosion, eliminating the need for the expensive and disruptive use of trucks to deliver the sand.

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