A black sludge being dredged up and spewed on to the dog beach at Altona has residents worried.
Williamstown’s Jason Bryce says one of Melbourne’s most pristine stretches of sand now looks like a demolition site.
“A lot of local residents say it’s the best beach around this part of Melbourne.
“All the time you hear people say the dogs have got the best beach in Altona.
“They’re depositing this black sand up along the beach. There’s quite a strong odour. It’s a work site, it’s a construction site, with an excavator and this dirty, smelly, black sludge being spewed out on to the beach and the excavator’s piling it up. It’s a beautiful beach when it’s not being demolished by whatever they’re doing there at the moment.”
Mr Bryce said he was very concerned about the impact of the dredging on wildlife and questioned whether Hobsons Bay council was doing its job as a custodian of its coastline.
“That’s a very special part of the local area and there’s a lot of creatures we always see: lizards and fish and sea creatures.
“I’d hate to think that they’re getting driven away – the swans and the birds – by this black sludge that’s spewing out eight hours a day.’’
Hobsons Bay mayor Angela Altair said the dredging was necessary to clear a build-up of sand so recreational boaters could safely navigate their vehicles.
“Earlier this year, council received consent from the state government to undertake a five-year dredging program at the entrance of the Altona Safe Harbour.
“The dredging will occur annually with the first stage in progress. Up to 5000 cubic metres of non-contaminated sand will be dredged each year and disposed of at the intertidal zone opposite Burns Reserve to dry out. Beachgoers also benefit as the sand, once dried, is used to renourish and improve the beach.”
