Information Session on Sea Level Rise Mapping Set for June (Australia)

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will host a public information session early next month to present the results of a project to map sea level rise (SLR) across the local government area.

The session will be held on June 10, between 5 pm and 7 pm in the function room at Council’s administration centre in Port Macquarie.

Council’s Director Development and Environment, Matt Rogers, said the potential impact of climate change had been identified as a high risk for Council in a planning and operational sense.

Consequently, Council engaged BMT WBM to undertake an estuary and coastline inundation mapping study to help identify those areas considered at greatest risk from SLR in three estuarine systems: the Hastings River, Lake Cathie and the Camden Haven River.

The study found that a number of key residential areas in the Hastings River Estuary will be possibly impacted by more frequent tidal inundation, exacerbated by SLR. Those areas include North Shore, Settlement Point, the CBD, Hastings River Drive and Riverside.

Other areas not currently impacted by tidal inundation may start experiencing infrequent inundation including areas along Hibbard Drive, Kooloonbung Creek and Blackmans Point.

The study found that few properties experience tidal inundation at Lake Cathie/Lake Innes and this would remain the case – even with 50 year and 100 year tidal events. Key tidally impacted areas in the Camden Haven area will include many properties in Dunbogan, many properties in North Haven (west of the bowling club) and a number of properties in Laurieton (near Ocean Drive Bridge).

Mr Rogers said the SLR mapping project, partially funded by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, was an important one for Council and would help ensure public assets are designed appropriately in the future so they can cope with any possible changes to the climate.

The June information session will be open to all interested members of the public. Council staff and BMT WBM representatives will be in attendance.

[mappress]

Press Release, May 27, 2014