Bray Park Weir tidal protection Project Reference Group seeks nominations
22 December 2017
Nominations are now being accepted for representatives of stakeholder groups to join the Bray Park Weir Tidal Protection Project Reference Group.
Successful nominees will join a project reference group considering options to mitigate the ingress of salt water into the Tweed Shire water supply, as occurred when a combination of high tides plus an unforeseen sea level anomaly caused the weir to be overtopped twice in August 2017.
Tweed Shire Council Director Engineering David Oxenham said this is an issue which will become more of a frequent concern over time due to the impact of climate change and subsequent increases in sea levels.
“We have already had a number of stakeholders register their interest in being part of this group and they have been contacted about nominating,” Mr Oxenham said.
“We now want to make sure anyone else who might have something to contribute has an opportunity to put their name forward.
“This project seeks to identify and assess a range of options to reduce the risk of salt water ingress into Bray Park Weir, both now and into the future, and to identify a preferred option for Council’s consideration.”
The events in August, which at no time posed any risk to human health, came at a time when river flows were low due to low rainfall levels in the catchment and Council staff will monitor conditions during upcoming peak high tide periods.
If staff asses there to be a risk a number of temporary measures have been adopted which will protect the weir pool.
These measures involve concrete blocks and sandbags, which can be put in place when required and left for a week at a time, but the project reference group will look into a more permanent solution.
A page dedicated to the Bray Park Weir Tidal Protection Project has been set up on the Your Say Tweed community engagement portal at yoursaytweed.com.au.
The page includes the latest project news, key dates and a document library including the nomination form for the project working group.
The library also includes the terms of reference for the group along with a number of reports about the original inundation.
Nominations close on Wednesday 31 January 2018. Anyone who may require a nomination form but cannot access Your Say Tweed can contact Project Officer Sandra Freeman on 02 6670 2285 from Monday 8 January 2018.
