Lauderdale warning

Anyone interest in examining the effects of the ocean on the beach and shore at Lauderdale is invited to meet with Senator Christine Milne at the Roches Beach end of the Lauderdale Canal at 10am on Wednesday. Local residents may like to express their concerns about the steady loss of the beach.

Every metre of the dune that is lost is a metre closer to the houses in Lauderdale and as Chris Sharples has pointed out repeatedly, the situation is not improving.

In past decades the dunes would remake themselves, but now they are being eaten away and it must be wondered if this is due to sea level rise.

In the 1980s there was an event in Lauderdale where the ocean flooded into the suburb and a rock wall was constructed along part of the beach at that time to protect the houses.

With the steady loss of the dune along the whole length of the beach, it is clearly only a matter of time before there is another event from the ocean.

In late 1989 there was a lot of flood water coming down the river, a king tide and a storm out at sea, all of which cause quite a lot of flooding in Hobart. Another event like that could impact heavily on Lauderdale.

The options

In New Orleans they knew there was a problem, but failed to act. It must be wondered if Lauderdale at sea level is a ticking time-bomb and the powers that be are failing to act.

The options need to be put on the table so that the community that would be immediately effected knows where they stand and what they should do.

Should the beach be armoured?
Should there be a retreat from the ocean to allow it to have its way?
Should Lauderdale be raised by 2 metres?

Unfortunately, Lauderdale is subject to ocean flooding from Frederick Henry Bay and Ralphs Bay, with the potential of the sea coming in across the surrounding wetlands as well.

There needs to be a plan for Lauderdale and the community needs to know what this plan is so that they can be ready for the next event, which, with sea level rise and the shrinking dunes, could be worse than in the past.

Hopefully, Senator Milne’s visit will help to focus the attention of the decision makers on dealing with this steadily encraching problem and help us to properly prepare for the next visit from the ocean.