West Beach is subject to higher erosion pressures than nearby beaches, with estimated annual sand losses of up to 100,000m3. The beach originally received around 60,000m3 of sand each year from the Adelaide sand pumping system, however this was not sufficient to address the speed of the erosion. After a storm event exposed a sand pumping pipeline, 100,000m3 was carted from the nearby Semaphore South breakwater over 2018-2019. An additional 500,000m3 of sand is being carted for the 2019-2023 period at the cost of $20m, and a new sand pipeline to continually pump sand from the Semaphore South breakwater is being built at a cost of $28.4m. Some dune restoration works are also being undertaken in association with local councils and community groups, including dune construction, stabilisation with jute mesh and revegetation.

Beach renourishment

Method: Artificially nourished

Sand source: Quarry, Same sediment compartment

Sand volume (m2): 100,000 in 2018-2019; 500,000 over 2019-2023

Sand placement: Dune area

Date of first renourishment: 2013

Date of last renourishment: 2022

Dune replanting or construction

Method: Revegetation, Mechanical reconstruction, Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation - method: Artificial stabilisation with jute mesh

Revegetation - species: Coastal spinifex