LITTLE BRAK NEWS - The Little Brak Estuary Breaching Committee met on 8 July to discuss the water level of the river.
This follows high water levels and residents complaining that water is close to their homes.
The committee includes members from the Mossel Bay Municipality, Department of Agriculture, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Agriculture, Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, as well as the chairperson of the Little Brak Estuary Advisory Forum.
The committee reviewed historical and present information on water levels, water flows, weather forecasts, wave forecasts, tidal information, local conditions on the ground through site inspections, and reports from the community. By consensus, all committee members concluded that the breaching of the Little Brak estuary was not supported by the time the Mossel Bay Advertiser went to print.
Negative impact
The committee highlighted that the premature breaching of the estuary at low water levels posed a negative impact on the health of the estuary.
"Little Brak has a large salt marsh area in very poor condition and requires inundation to reduce soil salinities and restore mash condition. Salt marshes are recognised as blue carbon sinks and play an important role in climate protection. Little Brak estuary naturally accumulates marine sediment in its mouth area between resetting flood events and over time develops a very constricted inlet," the committee said.
Under these conditions, freshwater inflow from the catchment becomes critical to maintain open mouth conditions, which as a result of very high allocation in the catchment, is not reaching the estuary anymore.
"Artificial breaching at natural levels, much higher than at present, provides strong outflows that assist in removing built-up marine sand in estuary channels. Premature breaching at low water levels reduces the scouring of the sediment from the mouth area and contributes to mouth closure.
"Thus, a balance needs to be found between the highest possible water level before breaching to remove sediment and the protection of built infrastructure," the committee said.
The committee is monitoring the situation closely and will meet to discuss new information on a regular basis.
In case of emergency conditions, contact the local Fire and Disaster Management Services write an enquiry to coastal.enquiries@westerncape.gov.za.
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