Lakes Entrance Sand Management, Environment Protection, Sand Dredging, Tide Information, Dredging Pump Sand, Coastal Environment & Coastal Protection, Gippsland

Monitoring

Monitoring the results of each project is crucial in determining the success of the program and providing the basis for future recommendations.

The monitoring equipment being installed will allow Gippsland Ports to accurately evaluate all aspects of the program. Monitoring will consist of :-

Bathymetric surveys; Surveys of the sea floor are being conducted regularly in the areas of the bar, the entrance channel, the inner channels and the coastline for a distance of approximately 3Km either side of the entrance. This will enable calculation on the amount (volume) of sand entering and leaving the system and, to some degree, where the sand moves to.

Terrestrial surveys; along the ocean beaches for the same distance as the bathymetric surveys are being undertaken. These will establish if the beaches are eroding or accreting as a result of the trials.

Weather; The installation of an Automatic Weather Station will provide a record of the wind speed and direction, rainfall, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. It is necessary to monitor this as the wind and weather is a primary force that creates the waves and cause the sand to move.

Wave, tide and current; Equipment is being installed that will monitor the wave direction and height. Tidal currents are also being recorded. Again, these forces are the major reason sand moves along the beaches and within the system and must be measured to fully understand the phenomena.

Visual monitoring of the bar and entrance channel is being provided by the installation of cameras at several locations.

Aerial Photography is being undertaken at regular intervals. This is important as the photos provide a record of a larger area that can be monitored by the other methods described above. Changes in beach size is well recorded in aerial photos. The photos are 'georectified' and can be placed directly over existing charts to make comparisons and identify changes over time.

Most of the monitoring equipment is already installed and the information being presented can be viewed on this website by clicking here.