Headland Control to Prevent Cooling Water Sand Incursion

A change in wave climate within Cockburn Sound caused James Point just north of the BP Refinery cooling water intake to erode and the sand to be transported towards the intake. Headlands were installed to form stable bays between them which prevented further littoral drift. These structures were constructed by building sand spits from the shore and placing limestone to a modest height above MWL at their tips. This solution proved extremely economical with no maintenance required during the first two years. Such an application of headland control can be recommended for preventing siltation across harbour or river mouths. Subsequent accretion adjacent to the intake flume is likely to be negligible and can be remedied by graders pushing sand, down to LWM, towards the foredunes.