Adapting Swansea: Planning for future flood risks

Expert talks held in Lake Macquarie next month will help shed light on flooding and tidal inundation risks in Pelican, Blacksmiths and Swansea, and how residents can prepare for natural disasters.

Join Dr David Wainwright for an evening to examine the findings of the Probabilistic Hazard and Damages Assessment for Pelican, Blacksmiths and Swansea.

Monday 13 May, 5.30-7pm

The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

Probabilistic Hazard and Damages Assessment

Council engaged Salients Pty Ltd to undertake a probabilistic hazard and damages assessment to examine the current and future combined flooding and tidal inundation risks (and damages) for Pelican, Blacksmiths and Swansea. The study will form the basis of a cost benefit and distribution analysis to be undertaken over the coming months.

There will be an opportunity for a Q&A with Dr Wainwright at the end of the talk.

No need to RSVP, light refreshments will be provided.

Bio

Dr David Wainwright has over 20 years’ experience including positions with state government, recent research positions in academia and many years working as a consultant in coastal and environmental engineering. A substantial proportion of that experience has related to projects on the NSW coast. David is presently a director of Salients Pty Ltd, a consulting firm which he established in 2015.

David’s work typically covers coastal engineering design, coastal geomorphology and land use planning. David is also broadly familiar with key aspects of coastal ecology, local government management, property law and community consultation.

His key areas of expertise include risk assessment methods for planning in the face of coastal and flooding hazards and sea level rise, engineering design, numerical modelling, and coastal lagoons. David’s PhD thesis investigated numerical modelling methods to inform management of the entrances to coastal lagoons.

David has a keen interest and has been involved in the development and application of modern technologies such as remote mapping using drones and laser scanning, the application of innovative methods for more comprehensive coastal monitoring, and the ways in which these technologies can be used alongside numerical modelling.

He has been a chartered engineer with Engineers Australia since 2001, with membership in the Civil and Environmental Colleges. David provides regular services to that organisation in interviewing individuals applying for chartered membership and acting as a judge for its biannual Engineering Excellence Awards.

David is presently a conjoint lecturer with the School of Environmental and Life Sciences at the University of Newcastle and an Adjunct Research Fellow with the coastal engineering research group at the University of Queensland.

Join us the week prior, Tuesday 7 May, for the first Let’s Talk session: Community evacuation plans and safety during natural disasters with the SES

Join local SES and Council representatives for an evening to review community evacuation plans and how to prepare for natural disasters.

Tuesday 7 May, 5.30-7pm

The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

The presentation will include information about forming effective community evacuation plans, proactive safety actions during natural disasters and the process to develop a Community Action Team for Swansea and surrounding areas with presentations from SES and Council. Each forum will provide a Q&A session with the presenters.

The forum will focus on

· Hazards affecting our local community – storms, floods, tsunamis, access during evacuation;

· Personal safety and asset protection measures at home or work;

· Home evacuation plans, safety tips and kits - when and who to call;

· Businesses – evacuation plans and business continuity plans;

· What to do and where to go during an evacuation event;

· Community Action Team (CAT)

· Q&A with the audience

No need to RSVP, light refreshments will be provided.

Join us on Monday 13 May, for the next Let’s Talk session: Understanding the Probabilistic Hazard and Damages Assessment for Pelican, Blacksmiths and Swansea with Dr David Wainwright

How can communities adapt?

Right now, we’re asking the community about which adaptation options they think will work best in Swansea to address the hazards and potential impacts of rising sea and lake levels. But you might ask what options are available to help communities adapt?

The Australian National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) provides information about adaptation planning and options for communities, which greatly support the development of local adaptation plans.

The Coast Adapt website by NCCARF has a number of resources available to help individuals and coastal communities understand the issues and plan for potential impacts of sea level rise.

Coast Adapt has four broad categories for options:

Planning

Engineering

Ecosystem management

Social, community and educational measures

What's happening with adaptation planning in Swansea?

Read the latest Adapting Swansea community newsletter (February 2019)

Take our quick community survey on impacts and identifying adaptation options.

If you would like further information, contact the Adapting Swansea project team [email protected]

Seasonal king tides are expected in the days leading up to Christmas, peaking on Christmas Eve, Monday 24 December at 10.15am in Swansea Channel. If you’re out and about, snap a photo and share it with Council on our Facebook page or email [email protected]. The tide is best seen along Swansea Channel, east of the Swansea Bridge and areas adjoining Black Neds Bay.

January king tides are predicted in the days leading up to Tuesday 22 January 2019, peaking in Swansea Channel at around 10.00am.

The Bureau of Meteorology website details the 2018 and 2019 tide charts for Swansea and other measuring stations.

Want to know more? The Lake Macquarie coastline and Swansea Channel typically experiences annual king tides during December and January and again in June and July. A king tide is a naturally occurring extreme tidal event and a good preview for what sea level rise may look like in the future.

View the new tides and tidal inundation fact sheet for planning for future flood risks for more information on tides, inundation and king tides.

Tips for our community during a king tide:

• Avoid driving through areas that are experiencing tidal inundation and stay out of the water. Remember, salt water can cause corrosion;
• Continue to monitor tidal events in your local area; and
• Get involved in adaptation planning with Lake Macquarie City Council. We currently have adaptation plans underway for Swansea, Pelican and Blacksmiths, and Marks Point and Belmont South.

For further information on king tides, visit the Witness King Tides project by Green Cross Australia at witnesskingtides.org or contact the Local Adaption Planning team on 02 4921 0333. Please note Council will be closed from 12pm Monday 24 December 2018 until Wednesday 2 January 2019.

Please visit Council online at lakemac.com.au/city/emergencies or NSW State Emergency Service at ses.nsw.gov.au for information on safety during flood and tidal inundation events.

A former CSIRO Principal Research Scientist will share his expertise on climate change and its links to sea level rises to help raise awareness of the issue in Lake Macquarie.

Dr Dennys Angove, now a lecturer in atmospheric chemistry at the University of Technology Sydney, will present Understanding the Science of Climate Change, on Wednesday 10 October, aiming to present a complex environmental issue in an interesting and relevant way for Lake Macquarie residents.

Understanding the Science of Climate Change with Dr Dennys Angove

Date: Wednesday 10 October

Time: 1pm-2.30pm

Place: The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

Understanding the science of climate change

Join Dr Dennys Angove for an afternoon to explore the science of climate change.

Wednesday 10 October, 1-2.30pm

The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

Topics presented will include the structure of the atmosphere, the natural greenhouse effect, global warming, trends in greenhouse gas concentrations and the enhancement of the greenhouse effect by anthropogenic emissions.

There will be an opportunity for a Q&A with Dr Angove at the end of the talk.

Bio

Dr Angove is an atmospheric chemist and in August 2014, he retired as a Principal Research Scientist from the CSIRO Energy Flagship where he studied the effect of fossil fuel emissions on the formation of smog and ozone in urban atmospheres.

For 10 years from 2005, Dr Angove lectured in atmospheric chemistry at the University of Technology Sydney and in 2017 he joined the Environmental Humanities Group at the University of NSW as the postgraduate course convener for Managing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and now continues as a casual lecturer in the course.

Dr Angove has a GDip.Ed. and a PhD in physical chemistry from Macquarie University. He is a member of the RACI and CASANZ* as well as a volunteer for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. He is actively involved providing science outreach talks to the community on climate change and air quality.

*RACI = Royal Australian Chemical Institute

CASANZ =Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand

Join local representatives and Council staff for an afternoon to talk local adaptation planning and learn from the experiences of our previous plans.

Monday 15 October, 3-4.30pm

The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

Explore different approaches to adaptation planning and ways to custom the plan to suit the local community’s unique circumstances. The talk will highlight preliminary adaptation concepts developed during the Pelican and Blacksmiths local adaptation planning work and provide more information about sea level rise projections, hazards and associated risks to lakeside and coastal communities.

Adaptation plans are designed to address current and future inundation of land and protect assets from sea level rise, higher tides, beach erosion and higher flood levels. Local adaptation plans are created specifically for the local area. It’s not a one size fits all approach and although we learn from previous experience and domestic and international examples, future plans must be custom built to address the unique environmental landscape of the local area.

Community involvement is essential to the success of local adaptation planning, this talk is a great opportunity to hear how community representatives and Council have worked together to plan for the future.

Let’s talk: Planning for Future Flood Risks

Join expert Dennys Angove, local community representatives and Council at two upcoming information talks to better understand the science of climate change and learn more about adaptation planning through the experience of previous plans.

Understanding the Science of Climate Change with Dr Dennys Angove

Wednesday 10 October, 1-2.30pm,The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

View more information about this talk.

Hazards, risks and precincts in adaptation planning

Monday 15 October, 3-4.30pm, The Swansea Centre, 228 Pacific Highway, Swansea

View more information about this talk.

Dr Angove is an atmospheric chemist and previously the Principal Research Scientist from the CSIRO Energy Flagship and atmospheric chemistry lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney. Dr Angove has a GDip.Ed. and a PhD in physical chemistry from Macquarie University.

Last night, 40 community members attended the inaugural Swansea Local Adaptation Planning meeting, involving a workshop to explore the impacts of future sea level rise and flood risks.

The room was alive with discussion and many great suggestions and shared flooding experiences were received from local residents, educators and business people, emergency services representatives and industry professionals.

Manager Sustainability, Alice Howe, said the night was a great start to the adaptation planning process and preparing to work together as a community.

“Working with local people and key representative from industry and emergency services is an integral part of the local adaptation process. Council cannot do it alone and we thank everyone who came along to the workshop,” Dr Howe said.

“Together, we need to take the lead in preparing for the likely the impacts of climate change. This is particularly important in low-lying suburbs like Swansea.”

“New roads, drains and homes built today will likely be around for at least 50 years, so we have to plan for the future now.”

“We encourage everyone with an interest in the future of Swansea to get involved with the project and share their experiences and local knowledge of the area.”

Get involved! There will be ongoing opportunities to contribute to the Swansea Local Adaptation Plan. To find out about the project and information collected so far, or to share your feedback online visit shape.lakemac.com.au/adapting-swansea or call 4921 0333.