Mr Kim Bowra1, Celine Roux2
1Department of Industry NSW, Tweed Heads, Australia
2Queensland Coastal Impacts Unit – Department of Environment and Science
Abstract
Tweed Sand Bypassing: Building Our Sand Transport Information System
The Tweed River Entrance Sand Bypassing Project (TRESBP) is a joint coastal engineering project of the New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (Qld) State Governments. The project artificially bypasses natural sand drift across the Tweed River from NSW to Qld. The project was initiated in 2001 and has endured numerous complex challenges through the interaction of mechanical and natural processes.
Sound management practices of the TRESBP now and into the future require comprehensive, technical understanding of the interaction between the project’s sand supply operations and the coastal processes prevailing. In order to increase, capture and utilise this knowledge, a Sand Transport Information System (STIS) is being developed to provide a basis for competent , efficient and confident decision making. An overview of the STIS is presented, including its key components, the expected outcomes and the knowledge needs identified within the project area.
Sand removal and associated delivery are two symbiotic components of the TRESBP. Both are currently being considered through an Integrated Sand Delivery Management Plan and Decision-aid Tool. These instruments are key knowledge areas for the STIS and will assist in dynamic decision support and defining target operational outcomes informed by strategic design criteria, decision making guiding principles, performance indicators, thresholds and action trigger levels.
Keywords: sand transport, coastal processes, information system.
Biography
Kim Bowra is a Senior Coastal Management Specialist with the Department of Industry NSW. With over ten years of experience in coastal science and engineering, Kim has studied in the UK and Australia, working in both private and public roles across the Middle East and Australia. He currently heads up the Tweed Sand Bypassing Project for the NSW State Government.