Excavators deployed to open Narrabeen lagoon ahead of forecast East Coast Low

Our coastline has received a battering over the last few weeks with waves as large as 10m causing erosion at many of our beaches.  

At Narrabeen, the huge swells, high tides and strong winds have forced sand along North Narrabeen Beach and across the mouth of Narrabeen Lagoon, closing the entrance.

Our engineers and environmental scientists have been closely monitoring conditions and with rainfall forecast this weekend and into next week, Council is moving machinery into position to reopen the lagoon and reduce the flood risk.

In order for the entrance to stay open, the water in the lagoon needs to be least 1m above mean sea level, opening on a falling high tide and should have flow out of the lagoon from rainfall.

Without these conditions being met, flow out of the lagoon is very slow and there is a strong chance that the next high tides and swells will push more sand back into the entrance and close the mouth not long after the excavators have done their work.

However, given the lagoon is at an elevated level, we are determined to create an opening before the forecast rainfall.

A 23-tonne excavator will be deployed first thing Friday morning to dig a channel through the mouth with the aim to open the lagoon on the high tide.

While we anticipate the lagoon will remain open, crews will remain on stand-by across the weekend and in to next week to take further action if required.

At Queenscliff, Council has also today moved an excavator, dump truck and bulldozer onto the beach to remove sand and clear a channel from the lagoon to the ocean.

Residents who live in flood-prone areas are encouraged to keep an eye on the forecasts and any severe weather warnings.

Find out more about Narrabeen and other lagoon opening triggers, including a more extensive list of FAQs.