Wamberal beach erosion: seawall would deliver no net benefit, study finds
A cost-benefit analysis of options for a seawall at Wamberal beach commissioned by the New South Wales government in 2017 found that none of the six engineering options considered would deliver a net public benefit and that erosion would only increase with rising sea levels.
“A seawall will provide benefits to beachfront properties by reducing the impacts of coastal processes,” . “However, in the longer term, more properties in this area are likely to experience greater damage and loss of property values from the increased flooding of Terrigal lagoon associated with sea level rise.
“Higher sea levels will result in the increasingly frequent inundation of hundreds of properties surrounding the Terrigal lagoon, the loss of the beach, and impacts on council assets such as water, electricity, sewerage and roads,” it found.
“The key beneficiaries from construction of a seawall are the approximately 60 owners of beachfront properties at Wamberal.”
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