Adelaide Beach Management Review Implementation Project - Dredge Trial


The sand on Adelaide’s beaches naturally moves from south to north, due to wind and waves. This causes coastal erosion at West Beach and a build-up of sand at the northern beaches, from Semaphore to North Haven.

The Adelaide Beach Management Review, facilitated by the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and overseen by the Attorney-General, aimed to identify the best approach for managing sand movement at Adelaide's metropolitan beaches. The Review's Independent Advisory Panel Report recommended that DEW investigate dredging nearshore or nearby sand deposits as a long-term, sustainable method to recycle sand from the northern beaches to West Beach. The South Australian Government committed to a trial to determine the long-term feasibility of dredging to manage sand between West Beach and the northern beaches.

The EPA regulates activities impacting on the environment set out in the Environment Protection Act 1993 (EP Act), through a range of authorisations. Dredging is a prescribed activity of environmental significance under the EP Act and the dredge trial can only proceed with EPA approval of the project’s Dredge Management Plan.


The sand on Adelaide’s beaches naturally moves from south to north, due to wind and waves. This causes coastal erosion at West Beach and a build-up of sand at the northern beaches, from Semaphore to North Haven.

The Adelaide Beach Management Review, facilitated by the Department for Environment and Water (DEW) and overseen by the Attorney-General, aimed to identify the best approach for managing sand movement at Adelaide's metropolitan beaches. The Review's Independent Advisory Panel Report recommended that DEW investigate dredging nearshore or nearby sand deposits as a long-term, sustainable method to recycle sand from the northern beaches to West Beach. The South Australian Government committed to a trial to determine the long-term feasibility of dredging to manage sand between West Beach and the northern beaches.

The EPA regulates activities impacting on the environment set out in the Environment Protection Act 1993 (EP Act), through a range of authorisations. Dredging is a prescribed activity of environmental significance under the EP Act and the dredge trial can only proceed with EPA approval of the project’s Dredge Management Plan.

  • The EPA's Role

    As South Australia’s independent environment protection regulator, the EPA is focused on ensuring mitigation measures and controls are in place throughout the dredge trial to prevent and/or minimise environmental harm. The EPA will regulate the trial through an authorisation in the form of a licence (EPA Licence #42842) with MC Dredging and Port Development Pty Ltd, which has been contracted by DEW to undertake the dredging works.

    The licence stipulates that MC Dredging and Port Development must prepare a Dredge Management Plan (DMP) detailing proposed measures to minimise adverse impacts from the dredging. The DMP for the trial also requires a water quality monitoring plan, a seagrass monitoring plan, and a noise management plan. The DMP includes turbidity triggers to protect water quality and seagrass. Turbidity will be continuously monitored at six sites to ensure that turbidity remains similar to background levels recorded before the trial. Maintaining pre-trial water quality is an important indicator that dredging is being undertaken in a manner that will not cause harm, particularly to seagrass.

    The EPA assessed the DMP against the EPA Dredge Guideline 2020, and has provided its approval of the DMP and dredge trial.

    The EPA will monitor compliance with the DMP during dredging works and has required that seagrass monitoring is undertaken by suitably qualified experts before and after the trial. The monitoring is important to understand any impact on seagrass and will inform mitigation requirements for any future dredging activities along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline.

  • Environmental Management

    To report an environmental or pollution incident to the EPA, please submit this through our online portal Your EPA.

    If you would like more information about the dredge trial or would like to discuss specific concerns about noise or environmental impacts with the dredge trial project team, please visit the DEW website or contact DEW.ABMRImplementation@sa.gov.au or 0461 535 823.

  • Safe Swimming

    The dredging trial will create turbidity (murky water) in localised areas close to dredging activities. This turbidity generally dissipates quickly but can lead to reduced visibility in the water for swimmers and other beach users. It is recommended that people do not swim in murky or discoloured water and instead move down the beach to where the water is clearer.

  • Frequently Asked Questions

    Some of the questions we are frequently asked include:


    Answers to these questions are available on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Page last updated: 16 Oct 2024, 11:33 AM