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NEXT FMA MEETING FMA Queensland Chapter Meeting, Wednesday 15 February 2017 in Brisbane
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FMA November Quarterly Meeting, Thursday 23 February 2017 in Sydney. |
Netherlands Royal Visit and Trade Mission to Australia |
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Pictured: Rolf Karst, Consulate-General of the Netherlands, and Ian Dinham, FMA, in Sydney.
Delegates from the 2016 Netherlands Trade Mission to Australia attended a joint seminar with Australian flood and coastal experts at the Sydney Institute of
Marine Science on 3 November.
The program included presentations from NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) Principal Flood Specialist Mr Duncan McLuckie, OEH Principal Coastal Specialist Mr Phil Watson, as well as Deltares Senior Advisor in Marine and Coastal Systems, Ms Simone De Kleermaeker. The session was chaired by FMA President Ian Dinham.
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Pictured: FMA President Ian Dinham in Sydney.
On the following day our Queensland colleagues from the Flood Community of Practice coordinated two workshops on “Resilient Urban Deltas and Floodplains” at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane.
The program included a visit by Their Majesties King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, and the official launch of the Smart Urban Water Management Tool.
More about the visit to QUT is at: https://www.qut.edu.au/news/news?news-id=111456.
Queensland Chapter Meeting and Workshop |
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Around 40 FMA Members and visitors participated in a very busy Queensland Chapter Meeting in Brisbane on 16 November. President Ian Dinham said that it is pleasing to see the increasing number of organisations represented, and the range of issues being discussed.
“The more people and organisations that attend the more information and
experience are shared. At this meeting we heard from Local Government Members, Queensland Government agencies, the Bureau of Meteorology, The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and businesses and consultants providing specialist flood services. It’s great to have all this expertise together in one room” Mr Dinham said.
An issue of continuing concern to Members was the apparent tightening of eligibility for Natural Disaster Recovery and Relief funding for
Councils undertaking post flood cleanup and repairs. FMA has raised this matter in a letter to Federal Minister for Justice the Hon Michael Keenan, and will continue to work with the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and LGAQ to bring about a more reasonable outcome for Local Government.
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Pictured: James Davidson presenting on flood resilient designs in Brisbane.
The afternoon Workshop presented by Architect James Davidson provided some different perspectives and innovative design solutions for residences for flood prone areas. These designs feature flood resistant building materials, relocatable furniture and elevated living areas, but at the same time positively contribute to the existing urban
environment.
Save the date for the next Queensland Chapter
meeting: Wednesday 15 February.
Sydney Quarterly Meeting and Workshop |
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Pictured: Duncan McLuckie, OEH, speaking to a full room in Sydney. The November Quarterly Meeting of FMA was held in Sydney last week at the Bureau of Meteorology and was exceptionally well attended.
Over 60 flood risk professionals participated in the
day’s activities, which included informative updates from the Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW State Emergency Service, and the Bureau of Meteorology.
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Pictured: Viktor Brenners, DELWP (Victoria) providing a presentation in Sydney.
During the Meeting, Viktor Brenners, Senior Policy Officer, Floodplain Management, of the Victorian Department of Land, Water, Environment and Planning (DELWP) provided a brief presentation on the Department in regard to flood risk planning in Victoria.
Mr Brenners’ address discussed DELWP’s organizational structure, role responsibilities, and initiatives, including the online FRM
tool FloodZoom. FloodZoom is a web-based tool utilised by Victorian practitioners and consultants that brings together flood forecasts, flood mapping, real-time river height gauges and property data to provide flood response agencies with improved knowledge of likely flood impacts.
Pictured: Sharon Pope, Lake Macquarie City Council speaking in
Sydney.
Sharon Pope, Manager Integrated Planning, of Lake Macquarie City Council spoke to Members about Council’s PIA award-winning Planning for Future Flood Risks: Marks Point and Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan. Ms Pope spoke of the challenges faced by Council when undertaking the early stages of the Adaptation Plan, and the
critical importance of collaborative communication with the local community of Lake Macquarie. More on this project later in the Flyer.
The afternoon included an enlightening workshop on the Hawkesbury-Nepean Flood Risk Management Strategy presented by Project Director Maree Abood. The session provided lively discussions regarding the Strategy, its findings and recommendations and relevance to other flood
prone areas.
Next Meetings of FMA are:
Brisbane – Queensland Chapter Meeting Wednesday 15 February 2017
Sydney – February Quarterly Meeting Thursday 23 February 2017.
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We’d like to take the opportunity to welcome our newest FMA Corporate Member – Sydney based consulting firm Lyall and Associates.
Lyall and Associates offers specialist engineering services primarily in the fields of water resource and environmental engineering. Their services include all stages of project development including investigations, planning,
concept design, final design and contract documentation.
Shhhh…. We also have a new Professional Member who has joined our ranks this month. As you may know, we do not publicly list our FMA
Professional, Individual or Student Members to protect their privacy. But you know who you are, and welcome.
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FMA Membership invoices were sent out in July, and there are still a number outstanding.
Membership fees are the main source of FMA’s income, so prompt payment is appreciated. If you are unsure of your Membership status, please contact projectservices@floods.org.au.
If your Membership fees are up to date – thank you. |
ARR 2016 Guidelines Moved |
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Geoscience Australia has advised that the ARR 2016 Guidelines have now been officially finalised, providing engineers and consultants with the guidance and datasets necessary to produce more accurate and consistent flood studies and mapping across Australia.
The updated guidelines also incorporate new Intensity–Frequency–Duration (IFD) design rainfall estimates developed by the Bureau of Meteorology, using 30 years of additional observations from over 10 000 rainfall gauging stations and improved statistical analysis techniques. These estimates are used by engineers to understand frequency and
likely intensity of rainfall to design better dams, stormwater drainage, to improve floodplain management and assist land managers with soil conservation strategies.
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Lake Macquarie City Council Wins Planning Award
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FMA Member Lake Macquarie City Council has taken out the Planning Institute of Australia’s (PIA) Hard Won Victory Award for its Planning for Future Flood Risks: Marks Point and Belmont South Local Adaptation Plan. The Award is presented for a planning initiative that has resulted in positive planning outcomes in the face of difficult or trying
circumstances.
The Plan focussed on incorporating sea level rise into the area’s flood study, and encountered a volatile, uninformed community which felt that change was unnecessary, and solely responsible for lowering property values and raising insurance premiums.
To dissolve the challenging elements of the relationship, Council undertook intensive community engagement initiatives, including recruiting 11 members of the community to form a
Sub-Committee, which was responsible for reviewing the approximately 40 management options.
The key elements in ensuring the success of the Plan were:
- Building trusting relationships
- Flexible but firm planning processes
- Establishing clear objectives and performance criteria
- Continuing
collaborative communication
- Encouraging community ownership of the Plan
Council’s Manager of Integrated Planning Sharon Pope provided a summary of the challenges and outcomes of the project to FMA’s Sydney Quarterly Meeting in November. |
Hexham Swamp Rehabilitation Project - 20 Years On |
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Pictured: Supporters inspect Hexham Swamp rejuvenation eight years after the first floodgate was opened.
FMA Member Hunter Local Land Services has hosted a 20 year celebration of one of the
country’s most significant wetland rehabilitation projects. Hexham Swamp is a nationally important wetland, and part of the Hunter River Estuary near Newcastle, NSW.
In the early 1970’s eight floodgates were built across Ironbark Creek to reduce flooding of agricultural land, but the floodgates also eliminated tidal flow into what was an ecologically significant estuarine and freshwater wetland. Severe negative impacts soon became apparent with
deterioration of the estuarine habitat used by migratory water birds, fish and prawns.
The wetland rehabilitation project returns the tide to Hexham Swamp by managing the opening of the floodgates in non-flood times, and closing the gates when flooding is imminent. This sounds simple, but it required 12 years of planning, research, stakeholder consultation and property acquisition before the first of eight floodgates could be opened in 2008. By 2013, all eight
floodgates had progressively been opened.
On 25 November, 40 of the large band of people who have contributed to the project over the years inspected the wetland and reviewed its transformation. To date over 440 hectares of estuarine wetland have transitioned, mangrove areas have increased by 60 hectares and over 40 new bird species have been recorded.
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Toowoomba Regional Council FRM Project Update |
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Ian Ryan, Senior Infrastructure Project Officer, Toowoomba Regional Council has provided attendees at the FMA Queensland Chapter Meeting in Brisbane an update on the Safer, Stronger, More Resilient Region project.
Since 2012 Council
has commissioned and publicly released flood studies for 35 locations across the region. Community consultation is now underway on these flood risk assessments and planning evaluations, as well as Council’s proposed planning responses to manage future flood risk.
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City of Sydney Raingardens |
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At the City of Sydney (FMA Member), the engineers in Technical Services developed a range of water quality components for the drainage network to meet ambitious Sydney 2030 water quality targets. One of the most innovative ideas is using small spaces in the city’s streets for decentralised water quality systems.
‘Online’ raingardens were introduced in 2008 to reduce the
pollutants from surface runoff and have since been refined in design and construction. By June 2015 the City of Sydney has built 143 raingardens with a combined total area of over 2720 square meters.
The team’s studies showed many factors contributed to the health of these original online raingardens, but that hydraulic performance had the greatest overall influence. Other factors included catchment size, in-flow rates, plant types, raingarden size, terrain of the
location and sun exposure.
To improve hydraulic performance the City’s Infrastructure Design Team shifted from the online concept and created ‘offline’ raingardens. Offline raingardens with a high-flow bypass were found to perform and maintain their appearance better than online systems.
Achieving an effective raingarden system in any urban area demands great effort in planning, design, construction and maintenance. However, raingardens are
excellent water sensitive urban design components that can greatly reduce stormwater pollution.
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POSITIONS VACANT
As a service to our Members we welcome information on career opportunities in the area of floodplain management.
No Current Vacancies.
If you are interested in promoting a vacant position with us,
contact us. GRADUATES SEEKING EMPLOYMENT The FMA is occasionally contacted by young professionals in fields related to flood risk management seeking introductions to potential employers.
If your business is seeking a new employee please contact us, we may know of someone suitable. UPCOMING EVENTS
Water, Infrastructure and Environment- 56th New Zealand Hydrological Society, 37th Australian Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, including 7th IPENZ Rivers Group, Queenstown, New
Zealand, 28 November - 2 December 2016
National Flood Forum: Are We Planning to Flood?, London, United Kingdom, 1 February 2017
2017 FMA National Conference, Newcastle, New South Wales, 16-19 May 2017
FMA CAPS AROUND THE WORLD Where has your FMA Conference Cap been?
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Pictured: Greg Jones (Lake Macquarie City Council) sporting his FMA cap during a recent visit to Carson City and Reno, Nevada USA to catch up on progress since his floodplain management study tour of Nevada in 2011
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Thanks for reading, and see you next month! P.S. HAVE YOU SAVED THE DATE FOR OUR 2017 CONFERENCE YET?
GO ON...YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!
If you found this Flyer interesting please forward it to a colleague, and suggest they sign up at floods.org.au to receive it directly in future. |
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