CONSTRUCTION of a temporary sea wall on Stockton beach has been delayed due to problems with groundwater at the former rubbish tip site.
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Hunter Water is building a 100-metre sand container sea wall to protect its site at Stockton from coastal erosion.
The $2.24 million job was delayed after the contractor was forced to source additional specialised equipment to extract groundwater at the former Newcastle City Council landfill site that operated between June 1964 and December 1971.
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A Hunter Water spokeswoman said additional sheet piling also had to be installed to protect workers from sand cave ins during excavation.
More than 10,000 tonnes of sand is being excavated and installed in 17 Mega Geotextile Sand Containers along the face of the site.
The 100-metre long wall will sit about 2.5 metres above ground and bend with the existing coastline.
In January 2018, a storm event caused significant erosion of Hunter Water's land and exposed part of the former rubbish tip.
More than 8000 tonnes of waste from the site near Corroba Oval, off Fullerton Street, was transferred to the Summerhill Waste Disposal Centre by a specialist contractor after the material was found to contain friable asbestos.
While the majority of the exposed section of the former tip is on land owned by Hunter Water, large swells last year exposed a second area that is the responsibility of NSW Crown Lands.
Hunter Water's chief investment officer Darren Cleary said the sea wall would help protect the land in the medium term.
"The sea wall is designed to be a medium term solution for the site. It's expected to last between five and seven years, while a long term strategy for coastal erosion is developed by the NSW Government and Newcastle City Council," Mr Cleary said.
Hunter Water funded around $3 million to clean up the site, and has spent $1 million so far constructing the wall.
Community information sessions will be held at Stockton RSL on Monday April 8 for Newcastle City Council to update residents on the suburb's coastal erosion problem.
Drop-in sessions will be held between 4pm and 6pm and a community presentation will run from 6.30pm to 7.30pm.
There is no requirement to register.
