New storm tide maps to help residents

Redland City Council has agreed to the publication and communication of new non–statutory storm tide maps to help the community understand the predicted medium term impacts of future storm tide inundation in affected areas of the city.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said that residents will receive real benefit from the substantial body of work in producing the maps to show the predicted storm tide hazard levels in the year 2070.

“They are in addition to the statutory obligation for storm tide hazard overlay mapping in the Redland City Plan to show the predicted storm tide hazard levels in the year 2100.

“This work was prepared following a request from a representative of the Aquatic Paradise Residents Association and will assist in addressing matters raised in submissions on the draft Redland City Plan when it was released for public consultation back in 2015.

“As early as 18 November 2015, Council agreed to work directly with technical working groups drawn from both Raby Bay and Aquatic Paradise associations to review all storm tide studies, assumptions and methodologies.

“For property owners in the affected areas, the statutory flood and storm tide hazard overlay only references 2016 and 2100 storm tide levels.

“This would have made it difficult for owners to understand how the impacts of storm tide were predicted to change over time,” Cr Williams said.

“While the State Planning Policy requires storm tide hazard mapping in the new Redland City Plan to account for predicted impacts of climate change, which it has done, including a 10% increase in storm intensity and a 0.8m sea level rise by 2100 – the reality for most residents is that their residential assets would have an engineered life of 50 years.

“So Council agreed to engage Water Technology Pty Ltd to complete this new mapping work.

“This non-statutory 2070 mapping assumes a 0.41m rise in the mean sea level by the year 2070.

“The 2070 storm tide hazard mapping will be made available on a new ‘storm tide hazard information’ web page that will go live when the new Redland City Plan commences on 8 October 2018.

“It will also include explanatory information to assist landowners in understanding how the statutory and non-statutory storm tide hazard maps will be used.”