Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 23 hrs ago
Ocean Grove caravan park levee faces growing flood risk
A levee built in the 1970s protects Riverview Family Caravan Park beside the Barwon River Estuary in Ocean Grove, Victoria.
The park has about 500 accommodation sites and attracts many holidaymakers.
Water exposure, storm surges and high tides can damage the levee, and small holes may grow and weaken it.
A recent assessment found the levee is uneven and partly breached at its low points.
It forecast that rising sea levels could fully inundate the levee by 2100 under current scenarios.
The Victorian environment department has received $250,000 in federal funding for a flood study and adaptation plan to guide future defences.
The study could consider replanting mangroves to help limit erosion, but that would not address rising sea levels.
The department plans to begin selecting a consultant in the coming weeks.
The levee protecting Riverview Family Caravan Park in Ocean Grove faces growing risks from coastal inundation and flooding.
A report found the levee is partly breached at low points and forecast it would be fully inundated by 2100 under current sea level rise scenarios.
The levee’s height varies by about half a metre between its lowest and highest points.
The Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action has received $250,000 in federal funding for a flood study and adaptation plan.
The park has about 500 accommodation sites and is visited as part of a destination that receives about half a million visitors annually.
- Who
- The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action is preparing a study and adaptation plan for Riverview Family Caravan Park.
- What
- The levee protecting the park faces risks from coastal inundation, sea level rise and flooding.
- When
- The levee was built in the 1970s; the report forecasts full inundation by 2100 under current sea level rise scenarios.
- Where
- Riverview Family Caravan Park, on the eastern shore of the Barwon River in Ocean Grove, Victoria.
- Why
- The levee has uneven heights and is partially breached at low points, while coastal and flood risks are increasing.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
They can get bigger if not addressed and compromise the levee’s structural integrity
We know how important it is to protect coastal communities from flooding and rising sea levels, which is why we’re investing in the work needed to identify long-term solutions for Riverview Caravan Park
They’re often in lower-lying areas, which are at highest risk too.
The eastern shoreline along the Barwon River was developed into a caravan park protected by a levee.
The department provided funding for repairs to the revetment wall, which forms part of the levee defence.
Barwon Coast released a report identifying the caravan park as a hotspot for coastal inundation.
The department had received $250,000 in federal funding for a flood study and adaptation plan.
- Levee built
- 1970s
- Height difference
- About half a metre between the lowest and highest points
- Federal funding
- $250,000 for a flood study and adaptation plan
- Forecast
- Fully inundated by 2100 under current sea level rise scenarios
- Park size
- About 500 accommodation sites
Sources
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