It's happened again, tonnes of sand has filled the Towradgi ocean pool

Local Christie Hardy said people would be lucky to get water past their knees around the edges of the pool but hoped it would be cleared again before Christmas.

It was only on November 20 that three 20-tonne excavators were called in to restore the popular swimming spot to its former beauty and remove hundreds of tonnes of sand.

Weather earlier in November had pushed more sand onto the city's beaches, leaving Towradgi pool in particular almost entirely filled, with the same happening again this week.

Environmental expert Paul Hellier, who studied geomorphology and wrote a research paper on sand dunes, said he had noticed more sand and most Wollongong beaches.

However, he described ocean currents as a "wild card" which dictate what happens to the sand and is often overlooked by the general public.

"In general, the seas have been pretty stable so most beaches have seen a build up of sand," Mr Hellier told the Mercury.

"The last few weeks has been regular southerlies [winds] so it's like just that series of events. Build up on the beach and wave line, and then dominant south swell pushing it into the pool. Also big tides."

On Monday, a council spokeswoman said Towradgi wasn't the only beach to be experiencing sand build up. Bulli and Austinmer rock pools were scheduled for cleaning this week, though she said there were no plans for a cleanup at Towradgi at this stage.

"These pools are maintained regularly and as the weather and tidal and sea conditions allow," she said.

"We have a weekly assessment and cleaning program that prioritises which pools will be cleaned. This assessment considers the pool condition, as well as the forecast weather, tide, sea and swell conditions as these impact individual pools differently depending on their location. At this time, Towradgi is not the only rock pool experiencing sand build up."

The Mercury asked the council how much it costs for a cleanup like what occurred at Towradgi on November 20, however they declined to comment on that.

It's not uncommon for wild weather and high tides to shift sand along the coastline.

In a Letter to the Editor in mid-November, Ian Young of Towradgi called on the council not to "waste ratepayers funds clearing it until a storm has cleared the sand piles surrounding it".

"When it was recently cleared it took nature three days to put the sand back," he said.

Now it's happened again.