Swansea Channel Dredging
Petitioner:
Mrs Michele Goodyer
| Member:
Catley, Yasmin
| No. of Signatories:
2,181
| Date closed:
15/01/2021
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly,
Lake Macquarie is the largest coastal saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere, and twice the size of Sydney Harbour. Swansea Channel is the only marine access route in or out of Lake Macquarie and provides a gateway to the lake, beaches and mountains; beyond that to Greater Newcastle and the Hunter Valley; a world class tourist attraction with facilities, activities and events to meet all walks of life. Unfortunately the channel gets silted up severely restricting access in or out of the lake, putting property and lives at risk and taking up the resources of vital services such as Marine Rescue and Maritime Services. This situation is so wrong on so many levels; The economic impact to the Lake Macquarie area. The reputation of Lake Macquarie – “don’t bother, too hard, not worth the effort”. The inconvenience to Marine Rescue – even they are running aground at the moment. The inconvenience to the wider boating fraternity. It is a safety and economic issue! The problem is the dredging is reactive, what is needed is a proactive dredging schedule, one that the dredging contractor can schedule into his business plan/calendar. A schedule that takes into consideration and works around peak periods of use, and one that in the event of a delay, for whatever reason, will not result in the channel being closed to much of the sailing/boating community.
We request a permanent dredging solution for the Swansea Channel.
