When South Australia’s harmful algal bloom impacted beaches around Ardrossan on the Yorke Peninsula in November, the scale of the clean-up quickly became clear.
With kilometres of coastline to cover and a significant volume of deceased marine life to collect, the local response team faced a major clean-up challenge.
So, when the Algal Bloom Coastal Remediation Incident Controller reached out for support, the City of Onkaparinga answered the call.
On Monday 10 November, 2 Onkaparinga staff members travelled some 180 kilometres to the Yorke Peninsula with one of South Australia’s few specialised beach-cleaning units – the council’s tractor and beach rake – to assist local crews.
Together, the teams worked to restore the coastline before Onkaparinga staff returned home later that day.
All costs were covered through the South Australian Government’s Algal Bloom response funding.
City of Onkaparinga CEO Phu Nguyen said the collaboration underscored the strength of councils working side-by-side for the benefit of communities statewide.
“This collaboration highlights the strength of South Australia’s councils working together to protect our shared coastline and natural environment,” he said.
“By sharing resources and expertise where they’re needed most, we can make a real difference for communities across the state.”
Yorke Peninsula Mayor Kylie Gray said the support was invaluable.
“We’re incredibly appreciative of the support from the City of Onkaparinga team,” Mayor Gray said.
“Their specialised equipment made a real difference in accelerating the clean-up and restoring our beaches.
“It’s a great example of councils joining forces to care for our coastline and communities.”
The council’s tractor and beach rake are used on Onkaparinga’s beaches too, though only selectively.
This is because the beach rake collects all debris in its path, including sea wrack (the natural accumulation of organic materials on the beach such as seagrass), which is an important part of the coastal environment.
Where possible, the aim is to minimise environmental impact by removing only the deceased animals via hand collection, while leaving the sea wrack in place.
