There will be a public
meeting at the St Francis Links Clubhouse at 17:00 on January 29 to discuss the
proposed ‘Coastal Protection’ scheme for St Francis Bay, with environmental
consultants CES in attendance.
This meeting will be of great interest to all interested parties, and
surfers and ocean goers are all urged to attend and to get involved in the
meeting.
All documentation can be
found at http://www.cesnet.co.za/st-francis-bay-coastal-protection-scheme-eia
New Beaches, New Waves
There is an excellent chance that, done correctly, the construction of
groynes along the beach and the dredging of sand from the silted up Kromme
River back onto the beaches will re-create the glorious beaches that were the
biggest tourist attraction to St Francis Bay, and in the process provide beach
facilities and facilitate beach and ocean-related pursuits, sports, hobbies and
past times.
The 40 meters of sand and more that used to exist in St Francis Bay was
a massive draw card to beach-goers, surfers and Hobie Cat owners. The proposed
groyne construction project – one of the St Francis Property Owners (SFPO)
Special Rates Area (SRA) projects – could bring all this back.
Saving The Spit
In addition the project
will save the spit, that part of the beach that is currently unprotected. The
constant erosion over the years has left that part of the beach depleted and
just a few east swells combined with spring tide conditions will undoubtedly see
its total destruction.
Kromme River Navigability
The Kromme River was initially identified as the best source for the
sand needed to replenish the beaches. Since then the build-up of sand in the
Kromme River has increasingly negatively affected the navigability of the river. Restoring the navigability of the river also specifically forms
part of the project.
