Major restoration works on an eroding river bank on the Burdekin River west of Home Hill are scheduled to commence later this month.
Funded by the Australian government's Reef Trust, the 'Streambank Remediation in the Burdekin Catchments' project is expected to prevent more than 5000 tonnes of fine sediment from impacting the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon each year.
Using the 'timber pile field' technique, multiple rows of timber piles will be driven into the riverbed and bank to effectively rebuild the natural riverbank over time.
Although commonly used throughout Australia, this technique is relatively new to the region and will help in slowing the flow of water to protect the eroding river bank.
Timber pile fields also serve to trap sediment and build the area up to support vegetation that can eventually replace the piles as the bank's protection.
NQ Dry Tropics civil works project manager Peter Gibson said the site was determined following a thorough investigation that prioritised five erosion sites from an initial list of 13.
"The final project site, spanning five hectares, was selected in consultation with the Burdekin Shire Rivers Improvement Trust," Mr Gibson said.
"Neilly Group undertook the design using advanced modelling techniques, and has also been appointed to undertake the construction.
"Preventing this amount of fine sediment reaching the Reef will improve water quality and reduce turbidity - supporting corals and seagrasses to get the sunlight they need to thrive."
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