Geoff Smedley
The GHD report on the state of the Tamar Basin is rightfully damning of the poor handling and wanton disregard for the river’s wellbeing as handed out to the Launceston City Council and its officers. This indictment is possibly a little too lenient in regard to the river’s current state, the major concern after all is the decay of Launceston’s last remaining icon, the unique Tamar Basin, once a major attraction and playground of the people, reduced today to an embarrassment of state rivalling its carers through neglect and an absence of thought and planning over a long period of time. Inveresk and Invermay should be revised and acted on in a futuristic manner and not be promoted as a long term assett, but immediately begin relocation plans for the area that has simply become a serious uncontrolable danger zone as well as an industrial slum that certainly could not fit into any future beautification of the City of Launceston.
Although only reading the media report it was disappointing that no reference was given to the river itself as this is the sole key to the problem, the blocked artery that is the river is causing anxiety to many and where the only answer to be found seems to be about higher levee banks. It is known that levee banks now in place are no barrier for the water already entering subterainially on normal tide movements. Imagine if you can the undermining pressures that would be inflicted on these unstable mounds in a crisis similar to the 1929 flooding. Levee banks no matter at what height they were set would be quickly undermined and once breached the carnage would be more than doubled by the retention of water alone in an area of natural flood plain which is Inveresk and Invermay, where simply standing on the the ground can give out its own warning message in regard to stability.
To speak of the flood of 1969 as major is a little misleading; this was only a natures warning and never placed any pressures on the controversial levee scheme, but to ignore warnings of what the future may have in store would be very brave indeed. To outlay some $30 million on a continuing path of false hope when the whole world is warning against rising sea levels and serious weather changes already happening all around us, this alone must be taken as a wakeup call and that the practices of the past no longer apply now or in the future. The whole debacle has in the past been run on guestimates creating the problems now faced, nothing appears to have changed on this front as these flexible guestimates are still foolishly reported leaving little room for confidence.
In the 1929 report it was said that flood to be the one in 50 year event, by the1950s the Hydro Electric Commission moved it to one in 100 years and technical judgement and benefits to Launceston’s river system is well proven. Then in 2004 it was quoted as one in 1200 years by a senior advisor, but today it is rapidly decreasing again, simply the quoting of costs in today’s figures of predicted damage in 50 years time is misleading to say the least.
Part of the verdict of this latest report deals with the issuing of planning approvals and building permits that may be open to legal challenge. This must now leave the LCCT. in a nervous position as these issues alone could become seriously explosive.
A separate report is needed right now into this predicament to reveal the hidden truth in dangers that could delay the rivers rectification even further. The LCCT. has been “fiddling while Rome burns”.
Perhaps the most glaring example of this is the enormous expenditure in the Inveresk area only now being revealed (most people already knowing) that a future catastrophe was imminent and the risks far outweighed the benefits that may have been claimed.
The commissioning of the report that has been confined to a virtual side issue is also promoting another gamble that is far from needed at this time, and would no doubt be the death knell of the city’s river forever, more appropraite means must be looked at such as starting at the beginning of the problem and flood-proof the river itself. Incredibly, after spending more than $30 million in this dubious way, at the end of it all the state and appearance of the river will not change, its now rapid demise will accelerate and the nervousness of the floodplainers will grow even greater. This is possibly the last time to get it right, so please don’t waste it. simply based on bad advice.
Geoff Smedley,
LAUNCESTON 7250.
Earlier on Tasmanian Times (with links to previous articles):
Tamar: A disaster waiting to happen
