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Berrigan Shire Council has allocated $15000 to restore a retaining wall near the Tocumwal boat ramp.

The council’s technical services director Fred Exton said Tocumwal Foreshore Management Committee was successful in obtaining a grant from the Better Boating Program to repair erosion in the vicinity of the Tocumwal boat ramp in 2010.

‘‘The grant was for $17438 towards the total project cost of $34875 and the balance was to be in direct funding from the committee,’’ he said.

The completion of these works had been delayed by high water levels and more recently the need to obtain permission from NSW fisheries for bed and bank works.

The committee requested that council officers take over the management of the project and grant, and this was formalised with Roads and Maritime Services in 2011.

The bed and bank works will be completed at the same time as the new boat ramp and jetty is constructed.

‘‘Since the application for — and approval of — the grant, there has been substantial tree removal in the area adjacent to the boat ramp for risk management purposes,’’ Mr Exton said.

He said significant further damage was caused to the retaining wall during the tree-chopping process, and this also needed to be repaired to make the area safe.

Patching up the existing timber structure to repair the retaining wall will not work as a long-term solution, because there is a considerable amount of rot in the remainder of the structure.

For this reason, a new retaining wall will be constructed out of bags manufactured from heavy-duty geofabric, filled with sand and stacked accordingly.

‘‘The estimated life of these bags is conservatively put at 20 years and the Foreshore Committee supports this type of structure.

‘‘This $15000 is required in addition to the existing $34875 already budgeted for the erosion control works.’’

The Foreshore Committee has also made provision for the area to have an underground watering system installed once the retaining wall is repaired, at a cost of $2000.