Toowoon Bay residents fear stagnant water pooling at the base of beach access stairs at the end of Binburra Ave is a health and environmental concern.
Following heavy rain and high tides in recent months, a large lagoon, about one metre deep, formed at the base of the stairs blocking access to the beach.
Long-time resident Graham McMullen, who has lived in Binburra Ave since 1978, said he had never seen such huge volumes of water lying stagnant on the beach.
Water from a stormwater pipe adjacent a pump station at the end of the street is discharged onto the beach, but in times of heavy rain and high tides, the water pools up against the pump station wall with nowhere to go.
Central Coast Council recently performed some earthmoving works to rectify the issue following complaints lodged by McMullen.
“The water was so high it was up to my thigh, it’s something I have never seen before,” McMullen said.
“The stagnant water is just sitting there. It was unhealthy, dangerous and makes it hard to access the beach.
“While the council has now done some work and you can walk around the lagoon, it will come back.
“It was a bandaid job, cheap and nasty.
“It needs a permanent solution like extending the drain further down the beach and away from the bottom of the stairs.”
He said he had contacted the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Central Coast Council and Member for The Entrance David Mehan.
The EPA said it was a matter for the Council.
“The Council said it won’t do anything because it’s a natural phenomenon,” he said.
“Telling me this is a natural occurrence is untrue.
“We have lived in Toowoon Bay since 1978 and never seen a lagoon at the end of Binburra Ave that prevents you accessing the beach.”
Following a meeting with McMullen, David Mehan said he wrote to Council asking for earthworks to be carried out near the pump station wall.
“I am looking forward to a positive response from Council,” he said.
A Council spokesperson said a natural stormwater flow path developed across Toowoon Bay Beach in the vicinity of Binburra Ave following rainfall events.
“This stormwater filtering is not unusual at this, or other beach locations across the Central Coast, following rain,” the spokesperson said.
She said Council recently undertook some beach scraping works to address erosion of the adjacent dune.
“When this water flow results in a significant drop from the end of the access steps, staff will seek to push sand towards the steps to ensure they are accessible,” the spokesperson said.
“Recent site inspections at the referenced location, have identified that the current stormwater flow path is not creating any safety issues, and there are suitable access routes from the stairs to the beach.
“No works are proposed at this location at this time; however, they will continue to monitor any impact.”
The spokesperson said staff expected the drainage channel to fill in with sand with favourable weather and coastal conditions in due course.
“The coastal environment is dynamic, and can be a dangerous place,” she said.
“As always, we ask our community to exercise due care when visiting our beaches.”
Denice Barnes