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NEXT FMA MEETING FMA May Quarterly Meeting and Annual General Meeting, Thursday 18 May 2017 at the FMA National Conference in Newcastle. |
FMA Excellence Awards Now OPEN! |
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The FMA Excellence Awards are now officially OPEN! The Excellence Awards were established to publicly recognize the outstanding contribution of FMA organisations and individuals towards promoting wise land use planning, reducing flood impacts, managing flood incidents or restoring communities after a flood event.
The Awards are a very important
part of the calendar year, and provide the opportunity to showcase the exceptional work that you are doing in making our communities safer.
The Awards consist of two categories; - FMA-NRMA Insurance Flood Risk Management Project of the Year (PROJECT CATEGORY)
- Allan Ezzy Flood Risk Manager of the Year (INDIVIDUAL
CATEGORY)
This year, the Project category’s entry requirements have been expanded to include nominations from all levels of FMA Membership.
Entries close 7 April 2017. |
FMA National Conference - Early Registrations Close 13 March |
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The FMA Conference is creeping closer, and the time for you to make the most of registration discounts is almost up. Early Registrations close by 13 March 2017!
The 2017 FMA Conference is not to be missed, and is our biggest by far with a huge program, four parallel streams, preconference workshops, and for the first time, a HEC-RAS 5.0 training workshop.
Visit floodplainconference.com for the Program, Field Trip details*, Workshop (Pre-Conference and HEC-RAS) information and online registration.
*As is usual, the Boat Cruise Short Tour is proving to be exceptionally popular, so book now to avoid disappointment. |
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Queensland Chapter Meeting in Brisbane
Another very full meeting of FMA’s Queensland Chapter on 15 February received updates from the FMA Executive and representatives of the Flood Community of Practice, National Flood Risk Advisory Group, Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning, Queensland Reconstruction Authority, Bureau of Meteorology, the Council of
South East Queensland Mayors’ Resilient Rivers Initiative, and Polyfabrics Australia showcasing its innovative rapidly deployed flood prevention/diversion technology.
After lunch Karl Sullivan, General Manager Risk, Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), provided an overview of flood insurance from 2007, when flood insurance was generally not available, to the present day when 94.7% of house insurance policies now have flood
provisions.
Issues discussed included ICA’s National Flood Information Database, the availability of flood insurance, pricing of risk, and benefits to policy holders of flood mitigation works.
Susan Mercer Nightingale, Director Policy and Statutory Planning, Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Local Government then led a very comprehensive Workshop on the new Planning Act 2016, and the compensation
provisions. Sound land use planning is a key element of reducing future flood risk, and it was great to see some new Land Use Planning faces among the participants at the meeting.
NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney
The Bureau of Meteorology was the venue once again for FMA’s latest NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting this month.
The Meeting received an excellent number of flood risk professionals from
around the State, (and South Australia and Victoria), including a number of Councillors and local government representatives.
The agenda for the day was very comprehensive, featuring updates from the Executive Committee, NSW State Emergency Service, Bureau of Meteorology, Office of Environment and Heritage, 2017 Conference hosts, Insurance Council of Australia and interstate FMA Members, which provided attendees with a snapshot of the FRM field over the past three
months.
The Meeting also included not one, but two Workshops; Freeboard – Why, When and How Much? and The New Australian Rainfall and Runoff – What to Do Now with Studies. The Workshops proved very popular with a full room, and lively discussion surrounding the topics.
Presentations from the Workshops will be circulated with the Minutes. If you are unsure whether you are on our Meetings Contact List, please contact us. |
New Submission Available Online |
Land Use Planning Director Paul Grech has compiled a submission on the Draft Climate Change Strategic Plan to the New South Wales Government, which was lodged on the 22 February.
Is there an inquiry or review you think we should contribute to? Contact
us and let us know. |
Australia Day Honours for Clr Bill Wheeldon |
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Last month, long-term FMA delegate Councillor Bill Wheeldon of Wentworth, New South Wales, was awarded with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Clr Wheeldon’s honour was awarded for service to local government, and to the community of Wentworth. Bill has been on Council for 36 years having been elected in 1980 and apart from Mayor for one year, he was Deputy Mayor,
1994-1995 and Deputy Shire President, 1992-1993.
FMA Members will know Bill from the many FMA Conferences that he has attended, including the excellent 2001 Conference hosted by Wentworth Council.
Congratulations Bill on this very worthy recognition! |
New Members - Melbourne Water + TAS Professionals |
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Melbourne Water has joined FMA’s Membership as our latest Corporate Member.
Melbourne Water is Victoria’s statutory drainage authority, responsible for water supply catchments, treating and supplying drinking and recycled water, managing waterways and major drainage systems in the Port Phillip and Westernport region.
Melbourne
Water also conducts flood mapping, modelling and design, and coordinates flood warning and response systems.
This month also saw two new Professional Members join from Tasmania. Welcome! The more Members FMA has from around the country,
the more we are able to achieve as the peak flood risk management body in Australia.
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BoM's Design Rainfalls Web Page Updated |
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As discussed at the FMA’s NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney on 23 February the Bureau of Meteorology has updated its design rainfalls web page to include:
- very frequent design rainfalls, for probabilities from 12 Exceedances per Year (EY) to 0.2 EY
- rare design rainfalls, for probabilities from 1‑in‑100 Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) to 1‑in‑2000 AEP
- the ability to extract design rainfalls as either depths (in millimetres) or intensities (in millimetres per hour).
They should be used in conjunction with the 2016 edition of Australian Rainfall and Runoff: A Guide to Flood Estimation (ARR2016), available from the Geoscience Australia web site: http://arr.ga.gov.au/ |
Is Your Home at Risk of Flooding? |
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While in Brisbane for February’s Queensland Chapter Meeting FMA Executive Officer Glenn Evans came across this eye-catching Brisbane City Council billboard prominently displayed in the Queen Street Mall.
Following the 2011 flood FMA Member Brisbane Council developed the FloodSmart Future Strategy 2012-2031 which is based on
national and international best practice, and delivers coordinated integration of flood management tools.
As the Council acknowledges, Brisbane is built on a floodplain and flooding can never be prevented, so accurate easily accessible flood information and guidance are essential for its residential and business communities.
The online Interactive Flood Awareness Maps promoted on the billboard provide information on the possibility of flooding by
address, as well as historic flood information and local sources of flooding.
The
Flood Awareness Maps are at: floodinformation.brisbane.qld.gov.au/fio/ |
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Have you changed roles at your workplace, moved on, or need to update your email address due to amalgamations?
Please contact us if your details have changed so we can efficiently maintain our Contacts Database, and stay in touch with you. |
Bathurst Regional Council - Perthville FRM Project |
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FMA Member Bathurst Regional Council has closed tenders for the implementation of Perthville Flood Mitigation Works, with Council currently assessing. Construction is anticipated to commence April 2017 and be completed December 2017. Funding has been made available through the Floodplain Management Program administered by the Office of Environment and Heritage on a
1:1:1 Local: State : Federal basis.
Perthville is a village located approximately 10km south of Bathurst, on the Queen Charlotte's Vale Creek, a tributary of the Macquarie River.
The Perthville Flood Mitgation Plan was developed as part of the Bathurst Floodplain Management Plan as adopted by Council in 1995 and is the last stage
planned structural works for Bathurst.
Perthville has 25 residential properties which suffer overfloor flooding during a 1% AEP event. The completion of the Perthville FMP will see the protection of 24 of these properties on the eastern side of the Queen Charlottes Vale Creek to the 1%AEP level plus 1m freeboard. One home will remain unprotected on the western side of the Creek.
The Floodplain Management Plan identifies required work as widening and deepening of the Queen Charlottes Vale Creek, the widening of the existing Perthvile bridge by way of additional box culverts and the construction of a 1.5km long levee. The culverts will be a 4 cell, 3.6x3.6m box culvert, and the levee will be a combination of earthern and reinforced concrete wall, with two stormwater flood pumps of 1,500L/s
capacity each.
The challenges of the project include: - Perthville Bridge is a NSW Heritage Listed bridge.
- Aboriginal remains have been discovered on an adjacent property within 20m of the project footprint, requiring considerable aboriginal heritage
investigations.
- 4 Eucayptus Aggregata trees require removal. These are threatened species and required Species Impact Statement to be submitted to OEH, for concurrence prior to Council approval for their removal.
A memorial to Sergeant Paul Quinn, a NSW Police Officer who was killed at Perthville in 1986 whilst carrying out his duties, requires relocation.
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Get to Know Our Members - Australian Composite Walls |
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FMA Members who were present at our February NSW/ACT Chapter Meeting in Sydney this month will be familiar with FMA Corporate Member Australian Composite Walls, and its representative Steve Whelan.
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Pictured: Steve Whelan of Australian Composite Walls at the NSW/ACT Meeting in Sydney. Australian Composite Walls is an Australian owned company that has developed an innovative structural wall that can retain both earth and water.
One of the newest and most technically advanced sheet pile wall systems on the market, the Wall was designed in Australia from scratch to take
advantage of the very latest developments in the composite pultrusion process which creates fibre reinforced polymer profiles of extraordinary strength and resilience.
This wall system provides a significant number of advantages over traditional seawall and retaining wall products, such as; - Speed and ease of construction
- Free Draining
- High Structural Capacity
- Resistant to Erosion and Corrosion
- Resistant to UV
- Maintenance Free
- Long Design Life
- Low Carbon Footprint
- Aesthetically
Pleasing.
Australian Composite Walls is currently working with FMA Member Cessnock City Council, utilising their technology for Council’s latest FRM project.
For more information, visit www.auscwalls.com.
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.
FMA CAPS AROUND THE WORLD Where has your FMA Conference Cap been?
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Thanks for reading, and see you next month! P.S. HAVE YOU REGISTERED 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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