Whats happening with all the sand in Coolangatta Bay?
• During the early years of the Sand Bypassing Project, sand delivery rates were higher than natural sand transport rates (see FAQ 5). However, since 2006, sand delivery rates have reduced and they now closely match natural transport conditions. With less sand coming into Coolangatta Bay, the mass of sand in the bay has been able to disperse more rapidly under the action of natural waves and currents. • Almost 500,000 m3 (or about one average year’s worth) of sand moved out of the bay during 2007/08. Survey results show that this trend is continuing. About 80,000 m3 of this sand came from the Snapper Rocks/Pt Danger area and about 400,000 m3 came from the Rainbow Bay/Coolangatta area. • The sand loss to date has occurred underwater. Therefore beach users will not have noticed any changes to the beaches as yet. However, over the next one to two years the dry parts of the beach are expected to become narrower and very much as they were before the 1960s. More information will soon be avai
