Community
9 October, 2024
Water levels recede as estuary opens
AN artificial river mouth opening at Peterborough has seen the water levels drop by more than 1.3 meters.
A Parks Victoria spokesperson said when the estuary was opened in late August it was flagged with the community another opening might be needed if there were heavy spring rains.
“And that’s what has happened,” the spokesperson said.
“After consulting with Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA), we used an excavator to open the estuary on Friday, September 27 when conditions allowed for a safe and effective opening.
“So far, the opening has helped reduce the risk of flooding.
“A day after the opening, the water level had fallen by 1.3 meters at Peterborough.”
A Corangamite CMA spokesperson said when swells are high, not only was it difficult and unsafe to artificially open an estuary, it was also hard to maintain the opening.
This was evident in August, when the estuary mouth closed naturally to the sea only five days after it was artificially opened.
“As the sea level continues to rise over the coming decades, more land and assets will become inundated more frequently and it will become increasingly difficult to safely open estuary entrances out to the sea,” the Corangamite CMA spokesperson said.
“Also, modelling suggests that the effectiveness of artificial estuary openings to mitigate flooding in the future may decline.
“This is why we must urgently continue our work to understand and communicate the future impacts of climate change and sea level rise for coastal communities.
“Our focus and effort must move past short-term solutions, to planning and delivering resilient coastal communities that can adapt to these conditions for the long-term.”