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Shifting sands: Ken Tainton says sand removed from the boat ramp at Tootgarook should be taken further down the beach to avoid it being blown back to where it came from.
Sand storage upsets ramp user CAPEL Sound foreshore management has denied that inefficient maintenance practices at Tootgarook are causing unnecessary sand movement and sand stacking. Foreshore manager Caro Baring said a boat user’s claims that not enough was being done to stop sand blowing back onto the ramp after removal were incorrect. She said the maintenance program catered for about 4000 boat owners who used the ramp every year. “Our maintenance of the foreshore involves moving the sand from the boat ramp away to the east side, so it’s
not that sand that ends [back] up on the ramp,” Ms Baring said. “The natural movement of sand and water along the coast means that sand will always build up over time.” But fisherman Ken Tainton said the method of “stacking” the sand after removing it from the launching ramp was inefficient and caused unnecessary ongoing maintenance issues. “The sand is stacked three to four feet on either side of the ramp but gets blown back onto it,” he said. “The way the sand is being dumped back onto the beach is causing the beach to move further out to sea
and creating a channel which directs the water and sand back where it shouldn’t go. “Moving the sand elsewhere would reduce the number of times the ramp needs to be cleared”. Ms Baring said the annual maintenance program, which started this month, adequately addressed issues of sand movement. She said the foreshore management was continually investigating the best ways to maintain the foreshore, and worked with Parks Victoria and the Department of water, environment, land and planning. Liz Bell
84 Station St Somerville VIC 3192 | PH 5977 5241 | www.somervillehotel.com.au PAGE 10
Southern Peninsula News 15 November 2016