Maintenance Dredging at Nelly Bay Harbour

Since postponing dredging work to prioritise significant roads and bridge restoration work in the Nelly Bay area, Council has been reevaluating options for the treatment and management of dredged materials. This has included work to explore whether there are any changes to the feasibility of the options initially assessed. The use of Council’s site at Kelly Street in Nelly Bay remains our preferred option and has the required permits and approvals in place. Following preliminary discussions with federal and state government, there may be a feasible option for sea placement of the dredged material.

We are at early stages of discussions on this alternative – it would need to meet all the criteria of sustainability, including environmental and cost, and we would need to be confident that we were able to secure the required approvals and other permits. We’ve found no changes impacting our assessment of other options, which remain unfeasible.

Council will continue to work with relevant partners to explore possibilities around sea placement, and will keep the community informed if this work suggests changes to our current proposal.

Earlier this year, Council postponed dredging work in Nelly Bay to prioritise significant repairs to roads and bridges in the area. That repair work is currently in progress. Dredging remains a key priority for Council, and we intend to carry out the work as soon as it becomes feasible. In the meantime, we are reviewing our plans to assess whether any significant changes have occurred that may impact the feasibility of various options.

As outlined on Council’s project page Q&A, we considered a range of options for the dredging and management of materials, including:

• Onshore management back on the mainland

• Disposal sites at Port of Townsville Limited (PoTL)

• Offshore disposal

• Shifting material underwater within the harbour

• Onshore management on Council property on Magnetic Island

• Former Nelly Bay STP (55–77 Kelly Street, Nelly Bay).

As with our original process, Council will re-evaluate these options based on a number of criteria, including sustainability and cost. We will keep the community informed if any of this work suggests changes to our current proposal.

Maintenance dredging in Nelly Bay remains a priority for Council to complete as soon as possible. After considering community concerns and taking into account current road conditions and other projects in the area, such as the Sooning Street bridge, Council postponed the dredging works to prioritise the completion of road and bridge infrastructure repairs. As a result of this decision, we will be retendering the dredging and dredged material management under a new contract at an appropriate time. We remain committed to our project plan, which includes utilising the Kelly Street site for the management of dredge material. We are also working with the relevant regulators to ensure that our approvals for the maintenance dredging works continue as needed to align with the revised project schedule. We will keep the community informed as our plans to implement the project develop or change. We anticipate that dredging will take place in early 2026, weather permitting. Additionally, we are working with Marina Management to ensure that the Marina remains safe and accessible.

Following record-breaking rainfall in late 2024 and early 2025, maintenance dredging in Nelly Bay Harbour has been deferred to allow the repair and replacement of damaged road and bridge infrastructure in the Nelly Bay area.

You can find more information about Council’s dredging and management plan on this project page, and in particular through our Q&A document.

Council is committed to engaging with local communities and will share more information closer to the start of any dredging works.