Sand bags at the beach in North Coogee

The City of Cockburn's response to Fremantle Herald on 18.11.20 about sand bags at the beach in North Coogee -


Question: One of our readers sent in this pic from North Coogee Dog Beach and were wondering what they were for. I assume as part of some erosion treatment, but perhaps the City could shed a little more light on it.

Answer: Pictured are Geotextile Sand Containers (GSC) that have been prepared to build a temporary erosion protection wall at the back of the beach. This wall will be buried by the sand when complete, but will act as a backstop to erosion during major storm events to help protect the section of coastal path that is closest to the beach and currently vulnerable.
 
GSCs are essentially large durable sandbags, that are filled with sand on site, sewn sealed and then placed via machinery in a stacked manner to create a wall. GSCs have advantages over other conventional alternatives (such as rock) for this application in that they are cost effective, utilise site materials (.e.g. beach sand) and can easily be removed in future when no longer required.
 
This wall has an intended design life of approximately five years, and will help minimise erosion risks until longer term permanent structural solutions are built. The City currently has an engineering study underway to develop a design for the long term erosion solutions at this beach.