tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post5379985916217000244..comments2024-01-20T10:32:53.309+10:00Comments on CairnsBlog.net: Moratorium on development in the Barron River and Thomatis DeltaMichael P Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02890121680113642715noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-38179514347396291792009-09-04T08:38:38.645+10:002009-09-04T08:38:38.645+10:00Sounds like the same CRC Drainage Engineer who tol...Sounds like the same CRC Drainage Engineer who told a group of residents who back on the Clifton Cottages development, that they would all have to build brick walls around their properties.<br /><br />Why you ask?<br /><br />Because Council failed to make the owner of this development adhere to IPA legislation and have a legal exit point for all storm water, so there are no external drains etc. All water runs off the roof, down downpipes and enters pits on the property. When these pits overflow, the stormwater then runs off Clifton Cottages site and into the backyards of its neighbours flooding their garages, yards and houses. This has been an ongoing problem now for 2 years. <br /><br />Of course the developer built up his site before construction, so that water is now running downhill at a rate of knots.<br /><br />Easy peasy for Council. Shift all responsibility and blame from them to residents, both the adjacent owners and the new owners of the units. Similar situation to the Clifton Views site (different developer). No accountability from Council when they stuff up and fail to do their jobs professionally and residents have to cop massive flooding events that never occurred pre development on these sites.<br /><br />This drainage engineer's credibility is zero and his lack of competence and professionalism is in abundance!Northern Beaches Warriornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-25616169711165945072009-09-03T22:50:05.289+10:002009-09-03T22:50:05.289+10:00I hope the CRC will take note of what has been sai...I hope the CRC will take note of what has been said in this lead article. Nature is ever so much more powerful than humankind. If we meddle with nature's playground we are courting disaster.<br />I have lived in the delta for many years and have seen the Baron River with all its fury play merry hell with man made objects.<br />Do we want a repetition of New Orleans right here on our doorstep?Delta Pioneernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-81579168985792911622009-09-03T21:51:54.728+10:002009-09-03T21:51:54.728+10:00Flood mitigation...?
Levees?
If we have we not ye...Flood mitigation...?<br />Levees?<br /><br />If we have we not yet learned that if Mother Nature decides to chastise "humankind" for it's arrogance and follies, then I guess we never will.<br /><br />New Orleans learnt that lesson to their eternal cost.<br /><br />To quote an old song, "it's a lesson too late for the learning"...Quien Sabenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-33995918704979590232009-09-03T19:36:46.200+10:002009-09-03T19:36:46.200+10:00Drainage Engineer, where did you do your practical...Drainage Engineer, where did you do your practical work? May I respectful suggest your theory is some what flawed as well<br /><br />Sadly, the recently Council constructed levee bank will not flood proof the Caravonica township. All it will do is provide a false sense of security.<br /><br />In a flood of the magnitude of 1967, 1974, 1977 and 1979 the Caravonica township will flood. Floods of a lesser intensity are not a treat to Caravonica. <br /><br />The recently constructed levee bank will prove useless as the Barron River flood waters will back up Avondale Creek and then along the former river channel behind the Caravonica school. <br /><br />Is the Figtree Drive Road built above a 1 in 50 year flood level?<br /><br />Do the culverts under Figtree Drive have floodgates?<br /><br />Does the Flood mitigation work include the installation of water pumps to remove the dammed local flood waters if the floodgates are installed and the Barron River flood waters back up?<br /><br />If not the rate payers dollars were not well spent!!Ross Parisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-91577904793744933292009-09-03T18:05:04.485+10:002009-09-03T18:05:04.485+10:00Have any of you "experts" looked careful...Have any of you "experts" looked carefully at the overflow route?<br /><br />The Barron River overtopped in the vicinity of Lake Placid.<br /><br />Council has recently spent big bucks flood proofing the low areas at Caravonica.<br /><br />The Barron will not cause the flooding devastation that occurred in 1977because of these works.<br /><br />The food mitigation works recently completed were planned to prevent a similar catastrophe.<br /><br />Rate payer dollars well spent.Drainage Engineernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-6040795598228083222009-09-03T15:33:25.552+10:002009-09-03T15:33:25.552+10:00All the more URGENT reasoning for a moratorium on ...All the more URGENT reasoning for a moratorium on development in the Barron and Thomatis deltas. It will be interesting to see if the CRC agrees or simply puts its head in the sand and crosses its fingers and Councillors all pray they are out of office when disaster strikes. "It didn't happen on MY watch!"nocturnal congressnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-91618272067759130262009-09-03T13:39:09.721+10:002009-09-03T13:39:09.721+10:00It is to be hoped that the Cairns Regional Counci...It is to be hoped that the Cairns Regional Councillors and Town Planning staff, who prepare the recommendations for Councillors to consider, are fully cognisant of the effects of the increased flooding height at Caravonica, Smithfield, Trinity Beach, Blue Water, Yorkeys Knob, Holloways Beach, Machans Beach, Kamerunga, Stratford and Freshwater, with every development approved.<br /><br />At this point in time there are three sand mines extracting. Two of these recently brought adjoining cane farms for expansion purposes. <br /><br />The Caravonica sand mine has a current application before Council for the extension of the extracting area by approx 100 hectares. In total area this sand mine is approaching 250 hectares.<br /><br />The sum total of the three mines, if the current application is approved will be approaching 400 hectares in area. This represents approx 10% of the Delta flood plain. <br /><br />Levee banks will most likely be a condition of approval as a means of deflecting the flood water and also stopping the Barron River from changing course yet again<br /><br />A 10% displacement of flood water will increase the flooding in all of the above mentioned townships by at least 10%. <br /><br />The Cairns Region has not experienced a 1 / 50 year flood since 1979.<br /><br />The above mines were not in existence prior to 1979 and therefore their flooding effects were not consider in the Barron River Delta Report.<br /><br />While the Cairns development industry needs the sand raw material, I believe the Council ought to consider the closing down of these sand mines. <br /><br />There are ample sand reserves in the Mareeba region, some of which are been used to supply the Cairns concrete batching plants and the construction of cement building blocks.<br /><br />A responsible Council would instigate an overall report on the suitability of the Delta sand mines continuing. <br /><br />Considering the Delta consists mainly of sand deposits, there does not seem to be an end in sight until the whole of the Delta is extracted of its sand resource and becomes a man made mega lagoon.<br /><br />Is that the legacy we want to leave our children?Ross Parisinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-68850805355703940802009-09-03T05:52:27.143+10:002009-09-03T05:52:27.143+10:00Since the state government is mandating local coun...Since the state government is mandating local councils to stop building on the coastline, will the new hospital remodel be required to put the building up on "stilts" like every other Queenslander?<br /> <br />A hospital on the oceanfront, under the flight path to an airport. What a joke. I hope Bligh knows that eventually this decision will have her with blood on her hands.North Cairns, Barrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-57070214412981183052009-09-02T21:29:47.175+10:002009-09-02T21:29:47.175+10:00At last, some non-partisan, apolitical and credibl...At last, some non-partisan, apolitical and credible information is introduced. If you want to go a step beyond the delta and understand sediment fate and consequent beach erosion, have a read of the Mulgrave Shire Northern Beaches report prepared by the Beach Protection Authority in 1982. It is heavy with science but at the start and finish has lots of layman’s explanations of what has happened and why and quite accurately predicts what will happen (between 1982 and the present). This fascinating book is in the Smithfield Council library and probably JCU as well.<br /><br />Makes the Cairns Council engineers look like boys holding their fingers in dykes. (!?!?) You gotta wonder what will happen to the acres and acres of waste now buried on the delta and the resulting pollution of the groundwater as well as the acres of open pits that are full of this polluted water. Where will it all go when the river changes course again as it inevitably will. The notion of Thomatis Ck becoming the main river channel aint as far fetched as it sounds, more a case of not if but when.Dallasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-36150896677501121022009-09-02T17:41:54.787+10:002009-09-02T17:41:54.787+10:00I was told there was also a rezoning, or change of...I was told there was also a rezoning, or change of material use, notice posted recently for low lying caneland along the Lower Freshwater Rd between Freshie and Kamerunga.KitchenSluthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15947481064967081891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-33840743360140894912009-09-02T14:07:47.384+10:002009-09-02T14:07:47.384+10:00The Barron River Delta Investigation Report can pr...The Barron River Delta Investigation Report can probably be obtained through a Member of Parliament's office or through the James Cook University. <br />Let's not all forget that the original Smithfield was swept away after the 1890 cyclone (?) when the Barron River changed course.nocturnal congressnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-34733710130043056392009-09-02T10:22:24.781+10:002009-09-02T10:22:24.781+10:00if this was Holland,we'd have wind-mills and
...if this was Holland,we'd have wind-mills and <br />"coffee shops". No one would ever leave....Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14217897938804789667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878592054777492431.post-39973609383728882482009-09-02T08:58:22.507+10:002009-09-02T08:58:22.507+10:00According to the plans, Paul Freebody is proposing...According to the plans, Paul Freebody is proposing a flood wall around his entire project. This will raise the water level in the rest of the flooded areas, including the access roads into Yorkey's, Holloways, and Machans. This is an enormously stupid idea - if allowed for every project, the walls would need to be higher and higher. <br /><br />This ain't Holland, Freebody. Stick your project somewhere appropriate. And stop harassing the public for speaking out!Edge Hill Tonynoreply@blogger.com