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IPWEA joins Australia-first climate change adaptation initiative

By intouch * posted 20-04-2017 08:38

  

The impact of climate change on coastal infrastructure will be addressed in a joint, Australia-first initiative between IPWEA and Northern Beaches Council in NSW. 


Manly-Ocean-Pool-Landscape-530769455_728x483.jpegThe Northern Beaches Council has received a grant of $80,000 from Local Government NSW, with the view to ensuring public infrastructure is resilient and adaptable in the face of climate change.

As part of the initiative, IPWEA which will author Practice Note 12.1: Climate Change Impacts on Assets, an addition to a suite of Useful Life of Infrastructure Assets Practice Notes. The practice note is due for release around mid-2018.

The practice note will be developed in conjunction with Northern Beaches Council, which will test its usability. The final practice note will feature Northern Beaches Council case studies and form part of national industry guidance.

Experts are predicting an increase in the impact of climate change on coastal communities, including rising sea levels, heat and more extreme weather events like the April 2015 and June 2016 storms.

Council Administrator Dick Persson says the funding will help produce options for making infrastructure last longer, with two pilot projects to be tested.

“We want to ensure that when we spend rate-payers’ money on public infrastructure we are doing it in a responsible and sustainable way by ensuring it’s built to withstand the test of time," he says.

“The Practice Note will propose alternative designs in response to sea level rise and increased extreme weather events for things like community facilities, wharves, roads and stormwater outlets to make them last longer and therefore provide greater community and financial benefit.

Persson explains that Northern Beaches Council is almost unique in Australia,  as it is a peninsula that is three-quarters surrounded by water and dominated by bushland.

"That has very obvious impacts on our environment," he says.

“In Manly and its surrounding suburbs alone, the risk exposure just to roads would impact more than 500 sections of roads, and storms would produce four times as many annual road closures.

It is also important that stormwater infrastructure on the Northern Beaches is resilient to climate change impacts such as increased extreme rainfall events and sea level rise.

IPWEA CEO Robert Fuller says the Institute recognises the need for evidence-based guidance that decision-makers can use to protect their community’s vital assets.

“Coastal communities around the world are facing the challenge of preparing for a predicted rise in sea levels. As custodians of their community’s assets, local governments need to be informed about the options available to safeguard their roads, stormwater outlets and surf clubs for an uncertain future. This body of work from IPWEA and the Northern Beaches Council will provide just that," Fuller says. 

The Northern Beaches has 21 surf lifesaving clubs, the most of any local government area in Australia. With many of those club buildings ageing, it is important that any renovations or rebuilds are done sustainably so they are resilient to sea level rise and storm events.

“We are proud to have been chosen to receive this grant to help Northern Beaches Council lead the development of national industry guidance in infrastructure climate adaptation,” Persson says.

Other councils with an interest in this area that would like to contribute to the practice note should contact project manager Stephen Lees, at stephen.lees@ipwea.org.
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