Coast, waterways and wetlands

Dredging involves excavating sediments from the seabed and moving them to a different location to keep waterways navigable. The common methods used are:

• Floating cutter suction dredge
• Excavator operating from the shore or a barge

The City of Mandurah conducts the dredging required when necessary at its boat launch ramp entrances and canal estate entrances.  

What impact does this have on the community? 

Low level noise may be caused by boat engines and pumps whilst the dredge is in the water, there may also be some disruption to boat traffic. A notice to mariners advice will be issued whilst dredging is taking place.   

A dark coloured plume is often present in the water during the dredging process. Once the work is complete, the plume normally disappears within 24 hours.

Sand bypassing

The sand bypassing program operates annually each year at the Dawesville Cut and Mandurah Ocean Entrance channels and is conducted by the Department of Transport.   

The City is committed to protecting Mandurah’s beautiful waterways. 

It is important that the foreshores near these waterways are developed and managed effectively. Managing our foreshores; 

• Ensures the protection of natural values that help to filter pollutants from our urban development and activities
• Provides habitats for our local and visiting international waterbirds
• Provides a range of recreational activities for our community
• Enables ongoing asset management and monitoring.

Where a development is approved in an area that is next to, or near a foreshore area, it is generally a requirement that the developer prepares and implements a Foreshore Management Plan.

To ensure consistency of Foreshore Management Plans and clarity to property developers, the City has developed a Foreshore Management Plan Preparation Procedure template, which streamlines the process to comply to the City’s approved systems. The pro-forma sets out exactly what is required within the Plan, including the table of contents, figures, tables and attachments etc.

Responsibilities

• Developers are advised to use the City’s Foreshore Management Plan Preparation  template to avoid their Management Plan being rejected 
• The developer is generally responsible for implementing the approved plan
• The developer is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the area -  normally a period of three years
• The City takes over responsibility for ongoing management and maintenance of the foreshore after the developer’s agreed years of maintenance are completed.

Mandurah boasts numerous waterways and wetlands, some of which are internationally recognised and protected, through the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Japan Australia (JAMBA) and the China Australia Migratory Bird Agreements (CAMBA).

Benefit of wetlands

Although these wetlands, depending on their location may not have water covering the entire soil all year,  are very important to our natural environment, providing benefits such as:

• The control flooding that help protect our coastal areas by slowing down the movement of waters
• Filtering waste and pollutants and improving the quality of water
• Conservation of biological diversity
• Providing habitat for a great diversity of plant and animal species
• Provision of  economic and recreation value from recreational fishing to tourism
• Hold important social and cultural values to members of our community.

Wetlands in Mandurah

• Peel-Yalgorup System (Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary)
• Lake Clifton
• Lake Goergrup
• Creery Wetlands
• Hexam Close
• Samphire Cove
• Lower Serpentine
• Murray River

With an estimated 80 percent of wetlands on the Swan Coastal Plain having been cleared, filled, drained or otherwise destroyed since European settlement, the City’ Foreshore Rehabilitation Project will help minimise our impact, and enable the protection and rehabilitation of these valuable waterways.