Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach

Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach

Closes: 25/11/2011

In 2008, the Council appointed a Project Team to gather data and consider management options for Ocean Beach. This followed significant erosion on the beach in June/July 2007, the DCC’s replenishment of sand on the beach and other remedial works as part of a now established ‘holding pattern’, and a comprehensive consultation process. Since then the Project Team has gathered and analysed that data and completed a risk assessment process. It has now identified proposed management options for Ocean Beach, taking into account the existing processes and risks.

A report from Tonkin & Taylor dated October 2011 entitled: ‘Ocean Beach, Coastal Issues and Options’, sets out preferred options for managing the area using an adaptive management approach. The report is available for inspection at the DCC’s Customer Services Centre and Libraries from Tuesday 25 October during their ordinary opening hours. A summary of intent and submission forms are also available. The information, plus background material on erosion at Ocean Beach, can be found at www.dunedin.govt.nz/consultation.

Submissions must be received by 5.00 pm on Friday 25 November. Hearing dates have been scheduled for Tuesday 31 January to Thursday 2 February 2012. Please state in your submission whether or not you wish to be heard.

Consultation documents

• Public Notice (PDF, 21.5 KB, new window)This document is a pdf copy of the Public Notice for Proposed Management Option for Ocean Beach consultation.
• Tonkin and Taylor Report (PDF, 3.8 MB, new window)This report summarises the existing and potential future situation. It also describes a range of potential generic options to address the shoreline erosion.
• Statement of Intent (PDF, 1.7 MB, new window)The Statement of Intent outlines management options for Ocean Beach and summarises the Tonkin and Taylor report.
• Impact of Scenarios on Ocean Beach Domain (PDF, 463.6 KB, new window)this map shows the impact of Scenarios on Ocean Beach Domain.
• Managed retreat sandy backdune (PDF, 1.2 MB, new window)This illustration shows the managed retreat with sandy backdune.
• Reshaped dune marram foredune (PDF, 1.2 MB, new window)This illustration shows the reshaped dune with marram foredune.
• Slideshow Stakeholders Meeting (PDF, 4.6 MB, new window)This is a pdf of the slideshow presentation to the stakeholders meeting.
• Submission Form (PDF, 23.3 KB, new window)This document can be used to make a submission regarding the Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach.

Consultation details

Closing date	25/11/2011
Contact person	Business Development Team Leader
Public feedback	Online submission form (new window) Email to - oceanbeach.comment@dcc.govt.nz Post to - Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach, Community and Recreation Services, Dunedin City Council, PO Box 5045 Moray Place, Dunedin 9058, Attention: Lisa Labuchagne Hand deliver to - Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach, Customer Service Centre, Ground Floor Civic Centre, 50 The Octagon - Attention Lisa Labuchagne
Public meetings	The public meeting is to be held on Monday 7 November 2011 at 7.00 pm. The venue is the Port Otago Room, first floor, Edgar Centre, corner Portsmouth Drive and Teviot Street. All interested members of the public are cordially invited to attend. A summary of the options and submission forms will also be available at the meeting .

St Clair Seawall Fencing Issues

The St Clair Esplanade is undergoing $177,736 of repair work just seven years after its upgrade.

27th April 2011 - Esplanade repair bill tops $170,000 ODT article here

30th April 2011 - DCC acknowledges St Clair railing error ODT article here

Mr de Vries questioned the council's use of mild steel, rather than stainless steel, for the fence. He also raised concerns about rust appearing on recently repaired parts of the fence.

Sea Wall under Scrutiny Again

Excellent article making the Cover and page 3 of the D Scene this week.

Local surfer Mark Stevenson shines the light on the ongoing issue of poor maintenance and work practices over the St Clair Sea Wall.

I believe the responce by the DCC to defer any 'work or maintenance' until a report is back over erosion at Middle Beach (due to be finalised by the end of 2012) is too long to wait to address simple issues of maintenance and public safety. When in fact there is already an independant "St Clair Seawall Peer Review" published by OCEL consulatnts in February 2006. This covers failures of the sea Wall since its construction, its structural capacity, failure of function, solutions and responses to the public and a city councillor. Why wasn't anything heeded from that review?

Waiting to address issues this way is incompetent. This is exactly what the DCC did with the Sand Sausages adjacent to the Sea wall. They put off doing any maintenance work on them as they became exposed, although it was allowed in the consent conditions. To ensure they "be maintained in a state of operational repair to ensure their effectiveness without the need to apply for additional consents". Instead they did nothing and opted to wait for a potentially lengthy public consultation process over sand mining at Tomahawk.
In the mean time, the sand sausages were completely exposed over time, contributing to increased erosion events right along the dune area to middle beach and St Kilda in 2007.
It was only the 'sabotage' of these sand sausages that allowed them to do the necessary work to bring the due system back in to some kind of equilibrium.
see related post here: phoam.blogspot.com/sand sausage deterioration over 18months

I seriously hope that the DCC will take action sooner, now that the public has been again informed, thanks Mark.

If you are interested please check out related posts on Sea Wall Issues, The failing steps and Ramp here: phoam.blogspot.com/search/label/Sea Wall Steps & Sand

Building Up

St Clair surfers would have noticed an incredible increase in the volume of sand being deposited at the base of the sea wall, and out into the break its self. I have heard it described at the beginning of the week as pipeline-like. below: a view the new Hotel on the Esplanade with sand build up. And the 6 dogs on the beach where Dogs are prohibited on St Clair Beach.
Pic at Bottom: Harbour dredging's have been deposited on the wharf the last few weeks and trucked to Moana Rua Rd where massive amounts have been dumped off the end to build up the toe of the dunes. This spoil has then immediately been washed into St Clair with the east swells. You can see the scarp at the base of fill.

Quiet As

Above: St Clair day after boxing day, heaps of sand, less people around than I thought. But thats what I love about Dunedin over christmas and new year, everyone leaves and its always very quiet. below left: Third storey going up on the Hotel.

Beach profile raising at St Clair

The sand is back on the beach in front of the sea wall, thanks to some recent east Swells.

Easy come, easy go

Easy come, the recent big East swells moved sand back in along Ocean Beach raising the beach profile, even allowing for a period of dry sand at high tide. Easy go, last weekends' southerly storms stripped away a decent footage of the beach, exposing the rubble placed at the end of the sea wall and again lowering the beach profile, allowing the high tide to affect the base of the sea wall.
Above: wave refraction off the rip rap at the base of the wall closer to the Salt Water Pool, assisted in the agitation and suspension of sand, which was carried off to deeper water.

Above: Thursday at low tide, truck loads of sand await placement, with the newly repaired and extended steps in the foreground.
At (I heard) $10,000 a day for sand replenishment, this is going to be a steep ongoing cost for us ratepayers for the next 4 years until the council decides on a long term 'solution'. A yearly 'holding pattern' budget of between $295,000 and $325,000 a year over this time went up for approval in January for the 2008-9 funding round.

Above: Steep dune faces are showing new growth of vegetation, in the distance a digger awaits the return of the T-Rex truck to transport another load of sand to the freshly eroded dunes between the sea wall and and the poles.

Above: Sand replenished over the exposed rocks immediately adjacent to the end of the sea wall after storms over the weekend.

Above: Monday this week, after the weekend storm ate into the replenished sand placed to protect the damaged sand sausages.

wider beach profile

Finally a notice is erected in an appropriate place to warn people of the danger of playing on the dunes. Action by the DCC has been called for since early August from members of the public both via email and the ODT letters to the editor.. my blog post.

Above two and below, recent East Swells have naturally replenished the beaches along the coast, especially noticable along the front of the sea wall at St Clair.

Below: a wider beach profile along from St Kilda to Middles can be seen.

full moon firing

Full moon action again, against the sea wall, some fiery sprays shooting up the wall.

More Sand

The recent North East swells have pushed some elevating sand in at the base of the sea wall near the end.

Rocks Emerging

Last week the sand collected in a steep bank against the sea wall and completely covered the rocks, now this week with the full moon and stronger swells they are emerging again.

$1 mixture

.. a mixed bag today.. some shots from my matchbox digi camera the Pentax from yesterday (as big camera was still away being maintained) of the super low tide with new moon.. back to the rock bottom for St Clair (excuse the pun).

Then a lesson: please take a fence. Half submerged in sand at the base of the stairs.. Jay pulled it out today and put it in a safer place. Below this arvo on the pentax..
.. some more shots of the constantly moving sandcastles below.

And apparently the Edgar Centre is having a huge beach volleyball arena soon, truckloads of sand are going to be shipped in.. not much spare sand around anywhere these days, love to find out where they are getting it from.

'fixing' the steps

I mentioned on my blog a few weeks back how the bottom steps closest to the pool were swaying when hit by waves.. council has recognised the need for repairs, and opted for the bandaid approach, filling behind the stairs creating a wedge with concrete.

Above left, workers concreting the concrete wedge in, with inset pic of the poured concrete under the stairs. Right, the other side of the stairs was filled in with the same wedge last week.

incomprehensible timing

Within the same week.. the front page of the ODT again. Seriously? with the very real threat of more severe erosion along the same beachfront.. I witness the incomprehensible timing for the unveiling of a major development on the Esplanade. Yes, I know change is inevitable I am not against the development, they're nice plans Mr Chittock, but in my many conversations over the last few weeks with members of the public, we feel quite concerned with the questionable integrity and longevity of the new sea wall. I cannot comprehend how the Dunedin City Council can approve a building consent of this magnitude, with underground carparks too, so close to the sea wall and shoreline at this point in time. We have had the wall 'leaking' last week, with a continuous flow of water from between the panels, the erosion of the panels themselves with rocks/logs and wave action. Continual destruction of the steps and ramp.. dune erosion and intense loss of sand along the beaches making the low tide line where the high tide line was 6 months ago.

Stumped

Also yesterday just to document the happenings from St Clair.. most will have seen the massive logs/stumps that have been washed onto the rocks at the base of the sea wall at St Clair.

wave action has picked them up and turned them into battery rams onto the sea wall, causing alot of damage some 'chips' out of the panels are the size of a dinner plate.

Thunderous Pounding

UPDATE: Went for a walk to St Clair about 10am..
The sea wall is experiencing a thunderous pounding again

Also by the bottom of the last set of stairs there is water gushing out from between two panels


Below.. some snow that made it to sea level

coming loose

The bottom section of the stairs closest to the pool are loose and rock with the incoming waves.. wonder how long these will last??

Again a day of work, and catch some fresh air as the sun went down at St Clair.
One nice shot before the light went of Hayley.

Sea Wall Panels

A friend scanned and sent me this letter to the editor in todays ODT, thanks Mark :0)

More Damage to Steps - Ramp

Cracks showing at the top of the recently replaced steps at the pool end of the esplanade. Although the cracks are in cosmetic concrete smoothing, it shows that the force of the waves over the last week have been impacting and lifting the steps to a great degree.

I have included directly below a photo of the top of the stairs from the 16th March to show what the structure is under the cracks which are showing now. This top section of the steps are a refurbished version of the old steps that were washed away, and still show old damage around the bolts.


The ramp has been reinforced with LARGE steel girders at 4 points (photo below on right), which makes it impossible for wheelchair acess now, actually with the 4foot drop at the end of the ramp onto rocks no access to beach is possible anyway via the ramp. Picture below on right, taken 19th April, is a week after the replacement steps were installed showing the newly broken new handrail and rocky beach.

Below is an article in todays Otago Daily Times. pg5