Dredging of the Yamba boat harbour’s navigational channel and repairs to Whiting Beach have commenced. “Around 20,000 cubic metres of sand will be dredged from the channel and pumped onto Whiting Beach (pictured) where it will be used for nourishment of the sands on the beach,” Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis said when he announced the project. Over recent years, Whiting Beach has suffered ongoing erosion events and sand has been placed in the same location previously. The Independent sought a statement from the Department of Primary Industries, outlining how the impact on nearby sea grass beds would be managed, however, a response was not received before the paper’s deadline. As can be seen in the photograph, the sand is pumped into a temporary holding pond to allow the water to drain into the bay, while the sand is retained on the beach – more information in next week’s paper. The project is expected to take around 10 weeks to complete, work was due to commence on April 26.