The Sunshine Coast Council has outlined why heavy machinery was rapidly deployed to a prominent beach recently.
An excavator and a mini loader were put to work at Stumers Creek, a particularly popular spot for dog owners at Coolum Beach.
The former was used to dig a channel for water to flow between the sand-clogged creek and the ocean, at low tide amid a forecast for significant rain.
The lower reach of the creek is one of a handful of Intermittently Closed and Open Lakes and Lagoons (ICOLLs) in the region, which closes when ocean waves and tides push sand from offshore into the entrance to the waterway.
A council spokesperson explained why the work was required.
“The creek had closed around January 2 and needed reopening to prevent upstream flooding (in residential areas),” they said.
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“Timing was (also) important to avoid the risk of the ICOLL closing again before rain arrived and to prevent Trichodesmium (a marine algae) offshore from entering the creek.”
The works are routine. Stumers Creek is opened more than a dozen times a year, depending on weather conditions.
The spokesperson said the impact of works on beachgoers is “minimal”.
“(It’s) limited to a small exclusion zone during excavation and traffic controls, until the entrance stabilises.”
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Local councillor Maria Suarez posted video of the work on her Facebook page, with an detailed explanation.
“The first dig was about 3m away from the edge of Stumers (Creek), to retain a plug while we dug the channel. The channel had to have some fall towards the ocean to ensure the water from the creek,” she wrote.
“Later on, we got a Posi-Track (mini loader) to come in and level the sand that came out of the channel and make it safe for the community. Finally, the plug was dug out and Stumers (Creek) can flow to the ocean.
“This will drop the existing level in Stumers Creek and if Coolum does get a decent hit of rain over the next few days, then those low houses in Coolum (upstream) will have less chance of getting flooded. Opening it should (also) improve the quality of the creek over the next few days.”
Locals expressed their opinions on Cr Suarez’s Facebook post.
“Very sensible,” Wayne Bryans said. “Great job,” Luke Francis Burkett said.
“Just let nature take its course. Houses are above the high water level so no real need to intervene. An unnecessary cost,” Peter Montgomery said, to which the councillor replied: “Some houses in Coolum are impacted when we receive larger volumes of rain and it builds up in Stumers (Creek) without being able to escape. Ask those residents who got flooded in 2022 when Stumers (Creek) was closed.”
Similar works were carried out at Coondibah Creek, south of Currimundi Lake, on Sunday afternoon.
