Port River area requires flood protection

The Estuary Care Foundation has, since it began in 2016, been advocating for the State Government to address the risks of flooding along the Port River and to establish strategic plans and governance structures for the Port River and Barker Inlet Estuary.

With the Environment, Resources and Development Committee (ERDC) of the Parliament of South Australia conducting an Inquiry into the Coast Protection Board and Legislation, and seeking submissions from the community, The Estuary Care Foundation laid out its concerns, including

1. The State Government, with Federal Government support, needs to protect the Port Adelaide region, which is one of South Australia’s most flood-prone areas at risk from rising sea levels, increasing intensity of storms and land subsidence.
2. The funding available to the Coast Protection Board is totally inadequate compared to the level of need for coastal protection and conservation in South Australia.
3. The scope of the Coast Protection Board to achieve its functions (Clause 14 of Act) has contracted.
4. Long term strategic planning and a governance structure is needed for the Port River and Barker Inlet Estuary.
5. The Board needs the capacity and funding to implement, where appropriate, environmentally friendly seawalls (Living Shorelines) in South Australia.
6. SA has tremendous opportunities to conserve and enhance its ‘blue open space’ and one of those key opportunities is in sequestering blue carbon, especially in the Dry Creek area.
7. Land use planning needs to take account of blue open space more effectively, to recognise the ecosystem services provided and to more thoroughly assess the benefit of those services compared to other uses

Fifty four submissions were made to the Inquiry including submissions by the Foundation, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and the SA Coastal Councils Alliance:

34 Coast Protection Board Inquiry submission Estuary Care Foundation

17 Coast Protection Board Inquiry submission City of Port Adelaide Enfield

51 Coast Protection Board inquiry submission SA Coastal Councils Alliance