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EROSION and rising sea levels will continue to threaten Wyndham’s coastline unless immediate steps are taken to address climate change, according to environmentalist Harry van Moorst.
His comment comes after Wyndham Council voted to seek external funding for the development of a coastal strategy to guide planning and management of the city’s coast.
In 2009, CSIRO modelling predicted sea level rises of up to 1.1metres by the year 2100 along the western side of Port Phillip Bay.
The study revealed that under current
one-in-100-year storm conditions, Altona and Point Cook’s Cheetham Wetlands and the Point Cook RAAF Base would be prone to “extensive inundation”.
A report presented to councillors last week recommended the council undertake an erosion and hazard assessment along the city’s coastline to determine the area be included in the strategy.
A scoping study found the council should consider applying a coastal hazard overlay to manage coastal erosion, storm surges and the risk of secondary flooding due to backflows into drains.
The introduction of new zones and overlays to reflect areas liable to flooding, particularly between farming and residential districts, were also among the recommendations.
Mr van Moorst warned climate change posed a significant risk to Wyndham and Hobsons Bay.
“By the end of the century a substantial part of Altona, Altona Meadows and Point Cook could be under water as a result of sea level rise,” he said.
“The CSIRO 2009 study is now out of date and current science indicates that the 1.1-metre sea level rise is likely to occur within 50 years, not 100.”
Mayor Kim McAliney said Wyndham’s population growth and developments such as the Wyndham Harbour project were among factors behind the need for a new coastal strategy.
