The Kingston District Council, South Australia, has agreed to dispose of its original cutter suction dredger following a unanimous decision at their September meeting.
In making this decision, Mayor Kay Rasheed said that “it simply came down to the fact that the vessel is no longer able to be effectively utilized.”
Given the significant increase and change in material accumulation, primarily the seagrass wrack within the Maria Creek, the original dredge is not capable in successfully removing this material, according to the council.
This is compounded by the fact that there is no engineering or specifications on the vessel and the environmental impact is unable to appropriately be assessed by the relevant authorities.
Disposing of the dredger will provide an opportunity to consolidate marine assets and operate only one, particularly given the council’s current position to focus on a long-term sustainable solution for the boat launching facility at Maria Creek.
Mayor Rasheed indicated that this process took a step forward at the September meeting, with the council agreeing to proceed to Stage 1 – detailed concept design.
This follows receipt of Tonkin Consulting’s scope of work brief which will see the council seeking quotations for a scientifically proven concept design for alterations to the existing structures.