City Pacific Limited Townsville Ocean Terminal Review of Site Climatic Conditions Tuesday, 11 September 2007 Report no: QL00704-CC-R001 City Pacific Limited Townsville Ocean Terminal Review of Site Climatic Conditions Author: S. Leger/L. Clough Checker: L. Stalley Approver: R. Campbell Report no: QL00704-CC-R001 Date: Tuesday, 11 September 2007 This report has been prepared for City Pacific Limited in accordance with the terms and conditions of appointment for Review of Site Climatic Conditions. Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd—Incorporating Weathered Howe (ABN 76 104 485 289) cannot accept any responsibility for any use of or reliance on the contents of this report by any third party. Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd Incorporating Weathered Howe ABN 76 104 485 289 45 Nerang Street, Southport QLD 4215, Australia Tel: +61 7 5532 3933 Fax: +61 7 5591 4778 www.hyderconsulting.com Contents 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................4 2 Existing Environment ...............................................................................................5 2.1 Townsville Average Climate Data ................................................................................ 5 2.2 General Climatic Conditions......................................................................................... 6 2.3 Extreme Climatic Events .............................................................................................. 8 2.4 Climate Change Issues .............................................................................................. 10 3 Potential Impacts ....................................................................................................11 3.1 Tropical cyclones and storm surges........................................................................... 11 3.2 Heavy rainfall.............................................................................................................. 12 3.3 Climate change .......................................................................................................... 12 3.4 Hazard Management.................................................................................................. 13 3.5 Water Management.................................................................................................... 14 4 Conclusion...............................................................................................................15 Page i Review of Site Climatic Conditions Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd Townsville Ocean Terminal Incorporating Weathered Howe ABN 76 104 485 289 F:\QL00704\Environmental Impact Statement\Consultant Reports\Hyder Reports\pdf for CD\Climate 14/09/07 12:57 3 Report\Final Draft Climate Report 14-9-07.doc Executive Summary This report provides a review of meteorological conditions in Townsville and the region pursuant to Section 4.1 of the Terms of Reference. The Townsville area is characterised by a tropical wet and dry climate. During the dry season, temperatures are mild and humidity is moderate. During the wet season, temperatures and humidity are high with frequent storm events including tropical cyclones. Average climate conditions are: Table 1: Townsville Climate Averages (1940 – 2007) Mean daily Mean daily Highest Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Mean Daily Maximum Minimum maximum 9am 3pm 9am 3pm Rainfall Evaporation Temp.(ºC) Temp. (ºC) Temp.(ºC) Relative Relativ Wind Wind (mm) (mm) Humidity e Speed Speed (%) Humidi (km/hr) (km/hr) Month ty (%) Jan 31.4 24.2 44.3 71 65 10.8 19.8 265.3 8.3 Feb 31.1 24.0 42.7 75 67 9.7 18.5 292.6 7.3 Mar 30.7 22.9 37.6 72 64 10.0 19.4 183.4 7.0 Apr 29.6 20.6 35.8 68 60 10.6 20.5 68.0 6.6 May 27.6 17.6 32.2 67 57 8.6 19.2 33.9 5.5 Jun 25.6 14.6 32.2 66 52 8.1 18.0 21.1 5.0 Jul 25.1 13.6 31.6 66 51 7.7 19.7 13.1 5.3 Aug 26.0 14.7 33.3 63 52 9.7 21.8 16.5 6.2 Sep 27.7 17.3 36.5 60 53 13.6 23.5 10.2 7.7 Oct 29.4 20.7 37.1 61 55 15.4 23.3 25.3 8.8 Nov 30.7 22.9 41.0 63 58 14.9 22.9 57.1 9.2 Page 1 Review of Site Climatic Conditions Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd Townsville Ocean Terminal Incorporating Weathered Howe ABN 76 104 485 289 F:\QL00704\Environmental Impact Statement\Consultant Reports\Hyder Reports\pdf for CD\Climate 14/09/07 12:57 3 Report\Final Draft Climate Report 14-9-07.doc Dec 31.4 24.0 42.1 67 61 13.4 22.1 124.7 9.0 Annual Average 28.9 19.8 44.3 66 58 11.0 20.7 1115.8 7.2 Source: Bureau of Meteorology; www.bom.gov.au Ambient climatic conditions that may influence the construction and operation of the TOT project including seasonal and diurnal variations are: Heavy Rainfall; Tropical Cyclones Wind Storms and Storm Surge Tropical cyclones can develop during monsoonal conditions from late December until early April and can cause major flooding and beach erosion within the entire Northern Australian region. The average frequency of cyclones affecting Townsville is estimated to be 1.78 events per season. Storm surges often occur during the passing of a tropical cyclone, causing flooding of low lying coastal areas and severe wave action on coastal structures. A review of historic events in the Townsville region is provided in Section 2.3.1. Extreme events may have impacts on coastal structures within the project site. A study has been undertaken by Coastal Engineering Solutions (CES) to assess the potential impacts of extreme events on the project. These impacts may include damage to buildings and property and potential risks to human lives. The TOT and Breakwater Cove precincts have been designed and constructed to ensure that the development minimises the potential adverse effects of extreme weather events and does not result in an unacceptable risk to people or property. While the Proponent will not be constructing any residential buildings within the Breakwater Cove Precinct directly, it is mandatory in cyclone prone areas for all development constructed to comply with minimum engineering and construction standards to withstand such damage. These Standards must be met by all future development within the TOT Project area. A designated evacuation route within the site will be identified to provide safe access during an emergency event. In addition, a Disaster Action Plan will be developed for the site to provide prevention and response measures in the event of a natural hazard such as a storm, flood or cyclone. Page 2 Review of Site Climatic Conditions Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd Townsville Ocean Terminal Incorporating Weathered Howe ABN 76 104 485 289 F:\QL00704\Environmental Impact Statement\Consultant Reports\Hyder Reports\pdf for CD\Climate 14/09/07 12:57 3 Report\Final Draft Climate Report 14-9-07.doc Changes in extreme events are predicted to occur as a result of climate change with possible increases in intensity of cyclones and storms. It is predicted that average temperatures will increase overall by 1-2ºC over most of Australia by 2030. In addition, a global mean sea-level rise of approximately 50cm is predicted to occur between 1990 and 2100. The TOT and Breakwater Cove precincts have been designed and constructed to ensure that the development minimises the potential adverse effects of extreme weather events and does not result in an unacceptable risk to people or property. The floors of all dwellings within the Breakwater Cove precinct will be situated above the required design levels to provide flood immunity. All structures have been designed and constructed to withstand hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces that may occur as a result of tidal inundation. A detailed description of these requirements is provided in the Coastal Engineering Report prepared for the project. The climatic conditions of the project area include the risk of impacts that are applicable to the region for all development. However, the knowledge and ability to predict the impact of expected cyclonic and extreme climatic events at the design and development stage of the TOT Project allows for the mitigation of impacts on the development to be incorporated. Page 3 Review of Site Climatic Conditions Hyder Consulting Pty Ltd Townsville Ocean Terminal Incorporating Weathered Howe ABN 76 104 485 289 F:\QL00704\Environmental Impact Statement\Consultant Reports\Hyder Reports\pdf for CD\Climate 14/09/07 12:57 3 Report\Final Draft Climate Report 14-9-07.doc 1 Introduction Development of the Townsville Ocean Terminal (TOT) project will involve construction of a dedicated ocean terminal for use by cruise ships and naval vessels and a residential area providing for a range of uses including apartments, attached dwellings, detached dwellings, commercial and retail facilities services, landscaping and public open space. The site proposed for development of the TOT Project is the area defined as the “Future Development Area” under the Breakwater Island Casino Agreement Act 1984. The TOT Project is to create two developed precincts: (a) The TOT Precinct: adjoining and cut into the existing Western Breakwater of the Port of Townsville, to create both a significant cruise ship wharf and land based facilities, including a terminal building, car parking and associated facilities; and (b) The Breakwater Cove Precinct: a residential canal estate: Both precincts will be constructed on reclaimed land adjoining the Townsville Entertainment Centre and Hotel Casino Complex, to the north of Sir Leslie Thiess Drive and Entertainment Drive. The reclamation site is bordered by existing breakwaters that form the western boundary of the Port of Townsville. Hyder Consulting has conducted a review