Murray Mouth

In reply to Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (4 December 2014). (First Session)

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning, Minister Assisting the Minister for Housing and Urban Development): I provide the following information:

1. SA Water has applied for a Section 26 Aquatic Activity Licence under the Harbors and Navigation Act 1993 to undertake dredging activities associated with the River Murray Mouth.

As a condition of the licence, SA Water will allow general vessel traffic through the area where it doesn't interfere with dredging. Vessels will be permitted to pass between the Goolwa and the Coorong Channels during daylight hours between sunrise and sunset, but will only be able to pass to the north side of the dredge (on the south side discharge pipes will be in place for sand removal). Vessels not associated with dredging operations will not be permitted to anchor in the licensed area.

The dredge vessel will display the required navigation signals (day) and lights (night) to advise of the appropriate passing side. SA Water may permit the entry of vessels in the waters specified in the licence outside of sunrise and sunset, at such times when the dredge is not in operation e.g. long weekends or school holidays. On these occasions SA Water will publish a notice in the Adelaide Advertiser indicating periods of access and applicable conditions of access.

There may be times when the boating public is excluded from the area for safety and operational reasons. SA Water has been requested to minimise periods of total channel blockage. SA Water will inform the public when access is excluded. Notification of total channel blockages will be notified by blocked channel markers, through Notice to Mariners in the Adelaide Advertiser, and signage at boat ramps in the area.

2. The licensed area is the same as it was during the millennium drought but the scope of the dredging is far more significant than previously undertaken. It is proposed to dredge an 80m wide channel where it was previously only 40m wide and the projected channel depth is 3m below Australian Height Datum.

Special marking buoys will be placed around each dredge. A 4 knot speed limit currently exists in the vicinity of the Murray Mouth. This will not change.

Coorong access will continue to be available through Mundoo Channel.

All steps have been taken to ensure access to the area when it is safe to do so.