Sand Renourishment

Esperance Bay Coastal Erosion

The Shire of Esperance is committed to protecting our coastline through a long-term sand renourishment program that helps maintain beaches, reduce coastal erosion and safeguard important community assets.

The completion of the Sand Back Pass Pipeline and Booster Pump Project marks a significant milestone in the Shire's coastal management strategy. The system provides a sustainable and efficient method of returning sand to erosion-prone areas along the Esperance foreshore.

The Challenge

Coastal erosion along Castletown Quays occurs annually due to sand drift from west to east. The Shire needs to undertake Sand Renourishment to maintain the buffer between the ocean and infrastructure.

Erosion of the Esperance Bay has always been a problem but has been exacerbated as a consequence of development that has been undertaken in the bay. This has changed the natural flow of sand drift. Currently there is an average annual net deficiency of 20,000m3 of sand in the bay.

sand renourishment

Options Considered

In 2018 the Shire engaged BMT to undertake a Report to look at the Esperance Bay Coastal Erosions Options and recommend a long-term solution, found here. The report looked at 5 options with some different variations.

  • Sand Renourishment - Status quo
  • Sand back-passing – Take sand off the Castletown beach and pump it back to the erosion zone.
  • Coordinated dredging and Sand back-passing – coordinate with the Bandy Creek Boat Harbour dredging program to pump the dredged sand to the erosion zone
  • Seawall – Offers direct protection of the coastline from erosion
  • Groyne(s) – Changes the shape of the bay to alter the equilibrium point

The Solution

The Shire has completed the construction of a permanent Sand Back Pass Pipeline and Booster Pump System.

The system enables sand that naturally accumulates in the Bandy Creek Boat Harbour to be dredged and pumped through an underground pipeline to erosion hotspot East of the Esperance Jetty in coordination with the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure biennial program.

Key project outcomes include:

  • Construction of a dedicated buried transfer pipeline.
  • Booster pumping infrastructure.
  • Reduced reliance on truck-based sand transport.

The infrastructure establishes a long-term framework for managing coastal processes while preserving the natural values and recreational use of the Castletown beach.

Benefits to the Community

The completed system will deliver ongoing benefits including:

  • Protection of public coastal infrastructure.
  • Preservation of beach amenity and recreational opportunities.
  • More sustainable management of coastal erosion.
  • Reduced heavy vehicle movements along the foreshore.
  • Lower long-term operational costs.
  • Improved resilience of the coastal environment.

By returning sand to areas where it is needed most, the system works with natural coastal processes rather than relying solely on hard engineering solutions.

Funding Acknowledgement

The Shire of Esperance acknowledges the support of the Federal Government through the Coastal and Estuarine Risk Mitigation Program.

Funding provided through CERMP has assisted the Shire to deliver this important coastal resilience project, helping protect community assets, public spaces and the long-term health of Esperance's coastline.