Save Ocean Beach

The natural and physical resources of Ocean beach and its adjacent City Dunedin are under threat and you can help!

By David Loughrey on Sat, 1 Oct 2011


The lights have been turned off at Kettle Park, and Dunedin's Middle Beach will be replenished with sand, after concerns the sea has worked its way dangerously close to light poles at the park.

The Dunedin City Council confirmed yesterday fences and signs were being installed along the edge of the sports ground in the interests of public safety, and power had been disconnected from the sports field lights.

The work is expected to cost about $60,000.

"A further inspection of Ocean Beach was held this morning following our monitoring of the latest pattern of storm activity," council parks manager Lisa Wheeler said yesterday.

"It is now clear that the erosion of the dunes adjacent to Kettle Park on the eastern side of Moana Rua Rd requires remedial work."

Dunedin man John Piper, who walks his dog on the beach each day, raised concerns about the issue this week, after he noticed heavy seas had eroded sand dunes to within metres of light poles at the ground.

The council is coming to the end of an extended consultation and research period, as it tries to find a way to deal with the constant erosion at the beaches from St Clair to Lawyers Head, which was made worse by severe storms in 2007.

The council has been shoring up the dunes since then, dumping extra sand and placing "reno blankets" - rock-filled wire netting - along the beach.

Yesterday, community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said a rip had formed at Middle Beach.

The council has a stockpile of sand at Tahuna, which it dredged from Otago Harbour, and 5000cu m would be used to replenish the beach.

Contractors would also attempt during low tides to remove rubble from the beach that had been dumped there in the past, but had been exposed.

Ms Wheeler said the swell at the beach was predicted to ease yesterday, and work was being organised to begin next week to replenish the dunes most severely affected.

In 2009, the council set aside $400,000 for the following three years to deal with the problems until a longer-term solution was found.

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz

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