According to Hunter Water, who completed the project last week, the living seawall is a collection of 90 3D printed tiles that act as artificial structures for the marine environment. Their purpose is to combat the loss of natural shorelines caused by marine construction.

"The tiles have been sourced from our supplier, Living Seawalls, a Sydney-based company with 20 years of research that has helped develop a modular tile system that recreates habitats for marine life as part of marine construction," a Hunter Water spokesperson said.

"The tiles have tiny nooks and crannies giving aquatic life a place to attach, attracting organisms that can absorb and filter potential pollutants in the water."

The panels were installed as part of Cottage Creek naturalisation work done in collaboration with Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation to "promote biodiversity and encourage aquatic habitat to thrive".

"Work teams have recently finished landscaping along Cottage Creek by replacing the concrete-lined walls with large sandstone blocks and adding native plants along the creek's edge," the spokesperson said.

"Hunter Water's own investment in the work was combined with a $450,000 grant from the Port of Newcastle Community Contribution Fund."

IN THE NEWS:

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: