Dredging of Murchison River in Kalbarri commences to widen channel, which decreased by 60m in one year

Dredging of the Murchison River in Kalbarri has started after it was confirmed to have more than halved in width during the last year. The biennial maintenance was announced by the Department of Transport (DoT) after hydrographic surveying showed the channel had narrowed from 100m to 40m in a 12-month period. The $1.6 million dredging works will take four months and see 45,000cum of material removed to reinstate the original 140m channel width. The project will ensure the channel can be navigated safely until the next dredging campaign in 2026. “At DoT we are constantly working to make waterways safer and this project will deliver a wider passage for both commercial and recreational skippers through what are known to be treacherous waters in poor conditions,” DoT asset manager Sam Mettam said. In 2022, DOT fast tracked the dredging campaign and extracted a record 95,000cum of material after a severe winter combined with the impacts of Cyclone Seroja. The results left concerning levels of infilling, making navigation dangerous. The dredged material will be pumped about 1km north of the river mouth.