There are two main reasons for replenishing beaches. The first, and probably most obvious, is for recreational purposes. Attractive sandy beaches bring much needed business to coastal towns. The second reason, perhaps less obvious to the general public, is to ensure that the beach continues to act as the first line of defence against the power of the sea. The advantage of a high level beach is that it dissipates wave energy before waves reach hard defences, which may be vulnerable to undermining.

The picture to the right shows a beach replenishment project underway. The dredgers can be seen on the horizon. A seabed pipeline is laid from a location deep enough for safe access by a Trailing suction hopper dredger to the beach. Sand is pumped directly onto the beach, where land based earth-moving equipment spreads it to the required profile.

The usage of the beach and the expected sea conditions will govern the grade of material used on the beach. Marine search investigations may be necessary prior to any dredging to locate a suitable source of material. The Partnership has long experience in sand search operations and licensing procedure. Local planning consent and regulatory licenses have to be obtained prior to work commencing.

Where water depth is sufficient at high tide material can be placed directly on the beach. The picture above shows material being ‘rainbowed’ onto the beach. The dredger to the right is a small split hull trailing suction hopper dredger. The vessel has very shallow draught, enabling it to dump cargoes of sand from the hopper close to the top of the beach. The split hull design means the cargo is offloaded in seconds.