Dredging of the Exmouth Boat Harbour entrance will soon commence following hydrographic survey confirmation that the channel is nearing the minimum safe width for some vessels.

WA Department of Transport (DoT) A/Manager Asset Management, Sam Mettam, said the survey had shown the channel had narrowed from 60 metres to 40 metres late last year, very close to the 30 metres needed for large vessels using the facility.

“A three-month long, $1 million dredging campaign funded by the State Government, will see about 20,000 cubic metres of material removed to reinstate the original channel width and ensure safe navigation until the next campaign, due in 2029,” Mettam said.

“At DoT we are constantly working to make waterways safer and this project will deliver a wider passage for both commercial and recreational skippers at Exmouth. 

Mettam that an additional benefit from the project will be that the dredged sand will be reused and placed on Exmouth’s Town Beach, widening it and assisting the natural drift of sand.

The announcement of the Exmouth works come less than a month after similar work was announced for the river mouth at Kalbarri, near Shark Bay.