Kingston District Council chief executive Nat Traeger said locals are “annoyed” about the money being spent carting sand to replenish Henley and West beaches in Adelaide, while the regional council struggles with a $10 million coastal management bill over the past five years.

Despite the region only raising $4 million in annual rates, it has been hit with expensive beach repair costs including protecting homes at Wyomi Beach at risk from a wild storm in 2016.

The council acknowledges that a protective rock wall was built with State Government support and the state’s coastal protection board has provided 80 per cent of $170,000 annual costs over the past four years to cart sand from Kingston Jetty to replenish Wyomi Beach, located about 295km from Adelaide.

But the remaining 20 per cent of the cost is made up by council rates, which also cover an annual $650,000 bill to clear sand and seagrass build-up so that Cape Jaffa Marina can remain open.

While at Kingston, the boat ramp has been closed for four years after the expense of continually clearing sand drift and seagrass ballooned, and Kingston Jetty faces a multi-million-dollar repair bill.

“It’s also three quarters under sand, we now call it the boardwalk,” Traeger said, blaming sand drift from Wyomi Beach for clogging the structure.

The jetty needs expensive repairs estimated at costing up to $6 million, including re-surfacing and fixing dangerous platforms that allow water access that are currently closed.

Sand drift at the deteriorating Kingston Jetty is turning it into a board walk, according to locals. Photo: Kingston District Council

“Kingston jetty is one of five (jetties) that have seemingly been selected for a pilot program to development a business case for repairs and/or enhancement,” Traeger said.

“The project seems to have stalled and just this week, the included councils are working with the Local Government Association to seek a meeting with the Infrastructure and Transport Department to determine where the project is at.”

Traeger said it is galling for country residents that claim high population city beaches win far more State Government help in trucking sand to nourish their coastline.

“The State Government is paying for that, the councils aren’t, and that annoys our community,” Traeger said.

“We are not a metropolitan area with significant population density and it feels a little bit like out of sight out of mind.”

The coastline at Wyomi Beach collapsed during a wild storm in 2016, with dunes and infrastructure swept out to sea leaving a gaping hole and about 40 homes along Marine Parade exposed.

Traeger said the council actively manages 25km of its 100km coastline from Cape Jaffa to the Blackford Drain, and when the collapse occurred it wrote to Wyomi Beach residents asking if they wanted to “defend or retreat”.

“The retreat option was basically, let nature take its course … By 2050, if not sooner, the homes would have been falling into the sea,” Traeger said.

Residents rejected the retreat option and the rock wall was built – but the structure is not long enough to keep homes safe.

Traeger said the council won $1.953 million federal funding in November last year toward funding another about $2.6 million work on extending the 412 metre-long rock wall an extra 170 metres either side can start in October this year.

However, the new rock wall build also spells the end of the sand replenishment program and the beach will soon be allowed to disappear into the sea – means less sand being moved from Kingston Jetty.

“In reaching the decision to defend without nourishment, our community needs to be aware that whilst this is the most cost-effective outcome at $3.9 million by 2050, it will result in loss of the beach in front of the sea wall in the next few years,” Traeger said.

Council members have met with ministers including Local Government Minister Geoff Brock and government officials asking for more help with coastal costs.

A spokesperson for Environment Minister Susan Close said the council is responsible for the maintenance of Kingston Jetty “under a divestment lease to the Kingston District Council until 2051”.

“The jetty was however included as one of five regional jetties in the SA Jetties Pilot Program, which included detailed condition assessments and the development of a business case,” he said, adding the program results are now being considered.

The spokesperson also said erosion issues at Wyomi “are significant and have undoubtedly put a strain on the Kingston Council’s resources”.

“This is why the Coast Protection Board has been providing support to the council regarding coastal erosion at Wyomi for a number of years.”

In the latest round of coastal protection grants Kingston District Council will receive $130,000 towards the Wyomi rock seawall extension and $80,000 for sand nourishment. The Board has also provided an additional $50,000 for urgent beach replenishment.