FEARS are growing that Old Bar entrance physically opened during the April flood is again in danger of silting up, possibly even closing again.
An onsite meeting at Farquhar Inlet on Monday observed that shoaling from the seaward side is resulting in restricted flow in and out of the Manning's southern entrance.
Four significant weather events since the assisted opening on April 25 have contributed to the build-up of shoals just outside the entrance. The events have been mostly prolonged southerly gales during the winter months, accompanied by big seas.
Monday's talks between the Farquhar Inlet Management Group, Greater Taree City Council and NSW Department of Lands representatives were to observe the current situation and discuss a future action plan.
That plan can't come fast enough, according to inlet management group spokesman Bill Nelson.
His group has raised tens of thousands of dollars of community funds to be added to council and State government coffers, towards a permanent improvement to the Old Bar entrance.
Mr Nelson was joined on Monday by fellow group member Greg Crisp, newly elected mayor Paul Hogan, council's director engineering Greg Blaze, NSW marine parks manager Department of Lands Steve Driscoll and Department of Lands Taree representative Brian Semple.
"Basically it was to show what is happening right now at the entrance, and firm up what we are doing about management of the entrance in the future," Mr Nelson said.
Mr Blaze said a sandbar had been forming off the beach, which depending on coastal weather conditions or a flood event could be expected to continue to affect the working of the estuary.
"It is still open at this stage, and although (Monday's) meeting took place on the higher side of the tide, we have looked at the situation a couple of times on low tide. There was much more exposure of sand and soil in the back channel."
Along with the Department of Environment and Climate Change, council is progressing its plans for an entrance opening management plan, he said.
The same consultants have been engaged as worked on the Manning River Estuary Plan, given that many issues which will arise will already be familiar to them, he added.
"They will be here in late October to discuss the plan with council's new Estuary and Coastline Committee (due to be elected shortly).
"Then at some stage there will be a community meeting when they will be canvassing opinion from a broad range of community members on what management issues need to be addressed.
"Hopefully then we will have a management plan arrived at via a consensus of opinion."
Mr Blaze said important details to be covered in the plan will be the parameters which need to be reached before a silted or blocked entrance can be physically opened.
"We already have a floodplain management plan which says that if the water inside the entrance reaches two metres (above a flood notch), then we have the authority to open it.
"This new plan may reduce that parameter, or it may outline dredging options within the estuary. It will go through all the options."
He said the management plan preparation has a process time of 28 weeks.
If the entrance were to close in that time, council would need to take a more urgent look at the situation.
Mr Nelson said the inlet management committee hopes desperately that the situation will not revert to that which saw the Manning almost lifeless in the first half of the year.
It took a concerted push from the community including a public riverbank rally, a packed public gallery at a council meeting and a public fundraising appeal to stimulate interest in an assisted opening.
After months of sluggish flow, dirty water, diseased fish and banned oyster production, the river's condition saw a huge recovery within 10 days of the opening.
"Obviously, the longer it stays open the better our valley will be," Mr Nelson said. "The fact is that at present there is less flow, and there appears there is not much we can do about it until we have this management plan.
"Depending on how the situation progresses, there may have to be something done in the interim."
He dismissed any suggestion that the Manning might have an 'under cover of darkness' opening, as happened last week at Smiths Lake, south of Forster.
Some time last Monday night or in the early hours of Tuesday, it appears shovels were used to cut through the sand dune at Sandbar Beach, which divides the swollen lake from the sea.
The incident occurred just days before Great Lakes Council was to open the lake, as waters had reached a high level due to recent rain.
Mr Nelson said the situation in the Manning River entrance at Old Bar is different to Smiths Lake.
"Our entrance is too big to be opened by a bloke with a shovel," he said. "At this stage we don't have the flexibility that Great Lakes Council has.
"Hopefully our recommendations to the authorities won't fall on deaf ears."