2019_2020 Livingstone Coastal Hazards Adaption Strategy - QCoast2100

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About the Project

Livingstone Shire Council has received funding under the Queensland Governments QCoast2100 program to prepare a Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS). We are one of 31 coastal Councils in Queensland currently participating in the program and are being assisted by consultancy team Ethos Urban and BMT.

We are undertaking this project to better understand the risks posed by coastal hazards that affect our coastline today, as well as those that will affect it in the future. It is important for us to understand how coastal hazards could affect our community, environment, cultural values, and assets, so that we can be prepared and make informed decisions on what short and long-term actions should be taken to manage the risks.

While the Livingstone Coast stretches for some 300 kilometres, Council’s primary focus is on:

Approximately 80 kilometres of coastline from Fishing Creek at the northern end of Farnborough Beach to the Fitzroy River; and

The islands that are adjacent to this coastline.

Planning for Coastal Hazards

The CHAS project focuses on coastal erosion, storm-tide inundation and permanent tidal inundation due to sea level rise. The CHAS will be used to inform decisions on how Council and the community will respond to coastal hazard risks. It will provide a framework for coordinated and prioritised adaptation action across the Council organisation informing infrastructure planning, public asset and community facilities management, land use planning, disaster management, protection of coastal biodiversity and cultural values and financial forecasting.

It is essential that our decision making on how and when to respond to coastal hazards is informed by reliable technical evidence. This is especially important because our region has historically experienced the impacts of coastal hazards, and these impacts are expected to increase into the future. It is also critical that our decision making is informed by community and stakeholder inputs. Our communities have a lot of local knowledge and experience in dealing with coastal hazards and processes. It is important that the CHAS incorporates this information.

What’s happened so far

Phases 1-5 are now complete and Council has commenced Phase 6. Information on what each phase involves is available on the timeline to the right of this page, as well as from the QCoast2100 website.

A key part of the technical work for Phase 3 (coastal hazard identification) involved refining the coastal hazard mapping previously undertaken by the State government.

Council has now completed updated coastal hazard mapping for the entire Livingstone coast to identify what areas and assets might be potentially exposed to coastal hazards today and in the future. Coastal hazard mapping has been prepared for different time horizons, being present day, 2050 and 2100 for the following coastal hazards:

  • Coastal erosion
  • Storm tide inundation; and
  • Land vulnerable to permanent inundation due to projected sea level rise.

Council has also engaged with a range of stakeholders on what’s of greatest value on the Livingstone coast, and what risks these values may be subject to.

The information that was collected was used for detailed risk assessment, which involved combining our understanding of likelihood with the potential consequences of impacts from coastal hazards.

Information on what you’ve told us is provided in the Document Library ( community bulletin 2).

What’s coming up

Our team is currently preparing Phase 6 which will involve using all of the CHAS work so far to develop options for how we will manage risk and adapt to coastal hazards. Council will be looking for feedback on adaptation options from stakeholders and the Livingstone community as part of Phase 6.

You can register to get involved by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.

About the Project

Livingstone Shire Council has received funding under the Queensland Governments QCoast2100 program to prepare a Coastal Hazard Adaptation Strategy (CHAS). We are one of 31 coastal Councils in Queensland currently participating in the program and are being assisted by consultancy team Ethos Urban and BMT.

We are undertaking this project to better understand the risks posed by coastal hazards that affect our coastline today, as well as those that will affect it in the future. It is important for us to understand how coastal hazards could affect our community, environment, cultural values, and assets, so that we can be prepared and make informed decisions on what short and long-term actions should be taken to manage the risks.

While the Livingstone Coast stretches for some 300 kilometres, Council’s primary focus is on:

Approximately 80 kilometres of coastline from Fishing Creek at the northern end of Farnborough Beach to the Fitzroy River; and

The islands that are adjacent to this coastline.

Planning for Coastal Hazards

The CHAS project focuses on coastal erosion, storm-tide inundation and permanent tidal inundation due to sea level rise. The CHAS will be used to inform decisions on how Council and the community will respond to coastal hazard risks. It will provide a framework for coordinated and prioritised adaptation action across the Council organisation informing infrastructure planning, public asset and community facilities management, land use planning, disaster management, protection of coastal biodiversity and cultural values and financial forecasting.

It is essential that our decision making on how and when to respond to coastal hazards is informed by reliable technical evidence. This is especially important because our region has historically experienced the impacts of coastal hazards, and these impacts are expected to increase into the future. It is also critical that our decision making is informed by community and stakeholder inputs. Our communities have a lot of local knowledge and experience in dealing with coastal hazards and processes. It is important that the CHAS incorporates this information.

What’s happened so far

Phases 1-5 are now complete and Council has commenced Phase 6. Information on what each phase involves is available on the timeline to the right of this page, as well as from the QCoast2100 website.

A key part of the technical work for Phase 3 (coastal hazard identification) involved refining the coastal hazard mapping previously undertaken by the State government.

Council has now completed updated coastal hazard mapping for the entire Livingstone coast to identify what areas and assets might be potentially exposed to coastal hazards today and in the future. Coastal hazard mapping has been prepared for different time horizons, being present day, 2050 and 2100 for the following coastal hazards:

  • Coastal erosion
  • Storm tide inundation; and
  • Land vulnerable to permanent inundation due to projected sea level rise.

Council has also engaged with a range of stakeholders on what’s of greatest value on the Livingstone coast, and what risks these values may be subject to.

The information that was collected was used for detailed risk assessment, which involved combining our understanding of likelihood with the potential consequences of impacts from coastal hazards.

Information on what you’ve told us is provided in the Document Library ( community bulletin 2).

What’s coming up

Our team is currently preparing Phase 6 which will involve using all of the CHAS work so far to develop options for how we will manage risk and adapt to coastal hazards. Council will be looking for feedback on adaptation options from stakeholders and the Livingstone community as part of Phase 6.

You can register to get involved by clicking on the link on the right side of this page.