The City of Busselton and the Federal Government have announced a new $7 million jointly funded project to reduce the risk of coastal flooding from tropical cyclone storms, in the regional area of Western Australia.
Funded by the Federal Government and Council 50:50, the project will be managed by the City and seek to progressively build community resilience in emergency planning, impact modelling and through the construction of protective built and natural infrastructure.
City of Busselton Mayor, Grant Henley, has welcomed the partnership with the Federal Government to help deliver this project.
“This project forms part of our Coastal Management Program (2020-2030), and aims to facilitate strategic, effective and sustainable coastal adaptation by the City of Busselton along the Geographe Bay foreshore over the next ten years,” Mayor Henley said.
“It will enhance our emergency response preparedness through early warning systems, and provide physical barriers to protect against storm surges.”
The project includes four components that will seek to progress mitigation of the risk of coastal flooding associated with tropical cyclone storm surges.
These components are:
- Emergency response
- Coastal investigations that include flood modelling
- Dune resilience works
- Provision of coastal flood protection, as an outcome of the coastal investigations
The emergency response component comprises the installation of a real-time seabed wave and water level recorder offshore, to be located near the Busselton Jetty.
This will allow for the validation of storm surge models and improvements to real-time storm surge predictions by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).
The coastal investigations also include the undertaking of a detailed coastal survey to provide an up-to-date bathymetry for coastal flood modelling (tropical cyclones).
The coastal sand dune resilience works initially involve vegetation mapping and fauna surveying, with the final component of the project featuring an infrastructure focus.
This would also be based on the modelling undertaken and would involve the design and construction of coastal levees in known areas of vulnerability; adjacent to low lying areas of Busselton.
Featured image: City of Busselton Council. Courtesy of City of Busselton.
