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Work has commenced on the new $4.9 million weir at Bandy Creek Boat Harbour in Esperance.

Project and harbour manager, the Department of Transport (DoT), is asking people to abide by the signage and not enter the construction area.

DoT Director Project Delivery Cameron Smith said skippers should also be aware silt curtains had been implemented upstream and downstream of the construction site and skippers should maintain a safe distance by remaining downstream of the marker buoy.

 “With work now underway on site we are asking people in the area to take extra care on land and on the water and observe the restrictions that have been implemented to ensure public safety,” Mr Smith said.

Contractor Italia Stone Group (Pty Ltd) will take nine months to complete the work which will involve 10,000 tonnes of earthworks and rockworks and see 400 tonnes of concrete poured.

Mr Smith said the design, location and alignment of the new weir would reduce the chance of future damage to the structure.

Positioned 50 metres upstream of the old weir, its design will increase the capacity of the structure to handle flood events and make it more resilient. It also allows tidal flushing and fish movement between the creek and harbour to continue and there will be no impact on the water level or quality of the Ramsar protected wetlands upstream.

In February 2017 the current structure was overtopped by floodwater causing significant damage including erosion of its foundation and a collapse at the southern end.

The majority of funding for the project will come from insurance. People wanting more information or a copy of the design can visit the DoT website.  

Media contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au

Seagrass accumulation at Jurien Boat Harbour is responsible for a deterioration in dissolved oxygen levels in the harbour leading to a fish kill event and a temporary closure of the beach at the facility.

As the facility manager, the Department of Transport (DoT) has acted to temporarily close the beach and recommends people do not swim in the water or consume fish caught in the marina.

Pet owners have also been warned not to allow contact with dead or decomposing fish either in the water or onshore.

DoT Acting Manager of Coastal Facilities James Holder said local contractors had been engaged to remove dead fish from the beach inside the harbour.

“The Shire of Dandaragan has erected warning signs on the harbour beach, and in conjunction with the Department of Health is monitoring water quality levels. DoT will continue to maintain a clean shoreline,” Mr Holder said.

DoT implemented a multi-facetted data collection program at the harbour in 2014 and the results are being used in detailed modelling to determine achievable long-term strategies to address environmental issues at the facility.

Environmental approvals are in progress for harbour dredging with works expected in 2020.

Further information about the project is available from the DoT website.

Media contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au

The State’s readiness to respond to a large-scale oil spill off the coast will be further enhanced next week as the Department of Transport (DoT) partners with Shell to stage a response exercise.

Shell’s Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) facility off the Broome coast will provide the scenario for Exercise Browse Challenge - a cross jurisdiction oil spill incident which aims to build relationships with industry and Commonwealth authorities to benefit a real-life response effort by the State.

DoT Maritime Deputy General Manager Ray Buchholz said the exercise would test current processes to ensure a well-coordinated and effective response to an incident – particularly the arrangements for dealing with a large-scale spill by a private operator impacting State and Commonwealth jurisdictions.

“Trained oil spill response personnel from DoT and other State agencies such as the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions will be working with counterparts from Shell and Commonwealth authorities such as National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) to simulate a coordinated response,” Mr Buchholz said.

“The exercise presents an opportunity for the participating organisations to measure their individual preparedness and response capabilities as well as their ability to work collectively.
 
“The two-day exercise commencing September 17, 2019, will build on the learnings of a similar event in 2017 which provided participants with a realistic response scenario to an incident off the Ningaloo coast.”

DoT is the State’s lead agency for ensuring an effective response to maritime environmental emergencies.
 
The State is well prepared to respond to major maritime environmental emergencies and exercises such as this provide a valuable opportunity to enhance response arrangements.
 
Approximately 110 people from up to 15 organisations will be involved in what is a significant opportunity to boost skills and hone the State’s plans for dealing with a major spill.

For further information about maritime environmental emergency response arrangements in WA, visit the DoT website. 

Media Contact: media@transport.wa.gov.au