Estuary project gains momentum
Included in the tender is the clearing and burning of vegetation currently covering the dune. This must be done prior to the sand removal.
IN a bid to facilitate and implement its ‘joint mouth’ project, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority has invited bids for the hydraulic slurrying and removal of sand, known as a dredge spoil pile, currently blocking the Mfolozi River’s natural course into the St Lucia estuary.
A portion of iSimangaliso’s Global Environmental Facility (GEF) funding for the ‘development, empowerment and conservation’ project at the wetland park will be spent on the hydraulic removal and disposal of 350 000 cubic metres sand dune, the result of previous dredging activities at the estuary mouth.
Included in the tender is the clearing and burning of vegetation currently covering the dune. This must be done prior to the sand removal.
The contractor will then remove the sand hydraulically, using water from a sea water intake system, and pump it permanently into the sea.
These works are timeous, considering the ecological health and well-being of the estuary systems and the thousands of jobs dependent on a viable estuary system.
A spillway, dug in 2012, had a substantial positive impact on the estuary system, but the upcoming hydraulic removal of the spoil pile is the next step in completing the project.
According to iSimangaliso, following the creation of the spillway lake levels increased and more typical salinity was experienced for the first time in 10 years.
Following the closure of the Mfolozi River mouth in January, caused by a change in river flows, the northern portion of the system is experiencing hyper salinity for the first time in three years.
This prompted the re-activation of the spillway in February, enabling fresh water inflows and stable salinity once again.
During the upcoming dry winter months fresh water flows from the Mfolozi River are vital for the health of the system.
