More notches in the dune belt

A digger cuts one of a series of notches in sand dunes below John Wilson Ocean Dr yesterday. The notches are being cut at the behest of the Dunedin City Council and are expected to encourage natural growth of the dunes and reduce the impact of erosion.

Dozens of notches 1.5m-2m wide and 1m-2m deep are being cut this week at 10m to 15m intervals between the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club and Lawyers Head.

The notches are one method of building up the back of the dunes by making it easier for the wind to shift the sand to where it is wanted. The cost of the work is about $4000.

A trial of the process in 2016 successfully built up dunes and a monitoring programme is being developed by the council and the University of Otago.