The Tweed river entrance sand bypassing project.

1. Why did it become necessary to extend the Tweed river breakwaters?

It was necessary to extend the Tweed river breakwaters because the breakwaters ont he southern side of the Tweed River acted to trap sand that would naturally be moved in a northernly directed by longshore drift.

2. What impact would the construction of the breakwaters have on the replenishment of sand to the Gold Coast beaches and severe storm erosion?

The construction of the breakwaters would benefit the Gold Coast beaches because the excess sand caught by the break waters would be used to replenish the Gold Coast beaches and stop the Tweed River from silting up.

3. Why did the Tweed River become unsafe to shipping? Explain the natural process that caused sandbars to form over the mouth of the Tweed River.

The Tweed River would become unsafe to shipping because of the large buildup of sandbars that would cause problems for boats that were entering the river.

4. Why was te dredging of the Tweed River and the associated beach nourishment program only a short-term solution to coastal management of the area?

The dredging of the Tweed River was only supposed to be a short-term solution because it was a costly method that would need to be continually used in order to solve the problem.

5. Describe the way TRESBP replaces the natural process of the longshore drift.

TRESBP used a system of pipes that pump the sand from the southern side of the Tweed River where most of the accumulation is and moves it via four outlet to the nearby beach.

6. Write a paragraph that explains your opinion of the TRESBP why do you think the project is regarded as one of the most sucessful coastal management schemes in Australia?

The Tweed River entrance sand bypassing project is one of the most successful coastal managemnt schemes in Australia because it was an effecient solution to a problem that was affecting the mouth of the Tweed River and also because it benefited the Gold Coast beaches by providing them with a continual supply of sand. The TRESBP is an example of an effective management strategy that has been used to solve a coastal mangement issue.

7. Draw an annotated map to explain the operation of the TRESBP.



8. Look at the aerial photograph in 7.28. Describe the changes that have occutred to th mouth of the Tweed River since 1962.

Starting from 1962  the breakwaters have been growing out of the mouth of the Tweed River located in Tweed heads NSW They have disrupted the sand coming through with longshore drift and this process has affected other areas along the northern coast. Theses beaches have lost sand as a result of this so more has to be pumped in and this can be seen in the second and third photos as there is a clear sand buildup

9. My estimation for the length of the breakwater in 1964 would be rougly 500 to 550m