[Peetwo]

Sydney weather: Residents prepare for rising flood water as Georges River peaks

The SES said it conducted about 35 separate flood rescues across Sydney on Wednesday.



Davey Robinson Drive resident Nathan Arnold was trying to move move things out his flooded garage on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Steven Siewert

[ltr]CHAIR: As you know, the destruction of this flood plain is going to have an affect on the residential people in the area in the event of a flood incident. It is going to have a serious impact on the people who have had nothing to do with this dodgy deal, but who happen to live adjacent. The flood plain has been filled and the flood has to go somewhere. The council knows about it and the guys that did it knew about it as they were doing it. To add to that the fill, which was the cheapest that they could find, is full of contaminated material, which allegedly was supposed to be supervised under the environment approval process. I rest my case. You have a problem, boys.[/ltr]

Or if you prefer...

And for those arrogant & ignorant Commonwealth public service Mandarins on display in that Senate Estimates video footage, here is a link for a very informative 2001 paper (courtesy Wentworth Shire Council) that clearly outlines the history of flooding on the Georges river, titled - HAVE WE FORGOTTEN ABOUT FLOODING ON THE GEORGES RIVER?

Relevant quote:

The Commonwealth Government ? The Commonwealth Government became partners with the State and Local Government in implementing major flood mitigation projects along the Georges River. However, Commonwealth funding on the Georges River was removed several years ago, despite some projects being only partially completed.

More recently, filling of federally owned land has been carried out within the floodplain, apparently without an assessment of its impact on flooding.

Gobbles: I hope Mr Arnolds legs don't start glowing green after wading through that beautiful water!!

You know it's a strange thing when you start to unravel a ball of string as you never quite know where it is going to end up. It appears lately that with each passing month the Meredek ball of string seems to be unraveling faster and faster?

"Unsafe water tables for all"


Kharon: Convert your garage into a cess pool.  Lesson 1.

It is bad enough that your house floods, really bloody awful.  But to know that had it not been due purely for the sake of greedy, commercial interest and lack of government funding, it could have been avoided would send you spare.  The flood plane that was there, protecting you and yours sacrificed to vested interests.  All bad enough – but when the mud, sludge and sewage drying underneath your house may have some radio active waste or asbestos in it, carried in by water which should never have been there in the first place and could, potentially affect the health of your kids, dogs and chooks, I reckon you'd be well entitled to a melt down.

The dwindling aviation industry based at Bankstown only has a very small voice in the great scheme of thing: but if every resident who may, even if only once decade, get unnecessarily inundated with 'suspect' fill, or be affected by a deliberately polluted water table were to speak out; they may, just get heard – provided the wretched media could take it's collective fingers out of it's cloth ears long enough to listen.

Arggh - - - 

Simply beyond the pale how little regard governments past and present really have for the average punter when there is money to be made...FFS

And to think old Farmer Truss just signed off on the BAL Master Plan less than a week into NY'15 - Approval granted for Bankstown Airport Master Plan. And didn't that get the Council/developers (& presumably McBank) hopping, they'd basically had all that lovely federally owned land carved up & developed before the ink had dried on the miniscule's signature:

Concern over ‘ad hoc’ commercial development of 130ha at Bankstown Airport  

• by: James Beech
  
• From: Canterbury-Bankstown Express
  
• March 04, 2015 11:00AM
  

Bankstown Airport chief executive Colin Grove speaking at a stakeholders meeting in the passenger terminal concerning plans about the future of the airport. Picture: Melvyn Knipe Source: News Corp Australia

MORE than 130ha of surplus land at Bankstown Airport could be developed to create employment and secure the long-term future of the airport.  

The State Government has earmarked the corridor from the airport to Milperra for industrial developments while maintaining aviation uses.
Bunnings, McDonald’s and Aldi are among the companies already open at the airport.

The airport masterplan, which was approved by the Federal Government, has identified 130ha for “non-aviation” uses. But Bankstown Airport is unwilling to release details on any potential future developments.



An aerial view of Bankstown Airport. Source: News Limited 

In approving the master plan Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said: “Major developments will require further planning processes, community consultation and approval in accordance with the Airports Act 1996 before going ahead.”

BANKSTOWN AIRPORT CHIEF DISMISSES NIGHT FLIGHT CURFEW

Bankstown Mayor Linda Downey said the council had concerns about an “ad hoc” approach to developments without investment in infrastructure and transport.

“The approved plan promotes retail tenancies in non-aviation land that will diminish the potential for aviation supporting industries,” Cr Downey said.

But Bankstown Airport chief executive Colin Grove said the masterplan ­addressed many of the council’s concerns.



Bankstown Mayor Linda Downey says the council will be closely monitoring development at Bankstown Airport. Picture: Chris McKeen Source: News Corp Australia

An airport leaseholder, who asked not to be named, said the airport had not ­informed leaseholders of the plans for the 130ha.

“They write you a nice warm fuzzy thing saying this is where we’re all moving to but … they’re actually telling you nothing,” he said.

■ The 2014 Master Plan is Bankstown Airport’s operational and development plan for the next 20 years

■ It facilitates more aviation activity, including passenger services, and recognises the potential for major non-aviation developments including retail to the south

After Heffernan's outburst - obviously backed by verified, ridgy-didge documented evidence - it would certainly be embarrassing if it was since discovered that BAL had been in breach of their lease agreement prior even to the miniscule signing off on the Draft MP??

For those interested here is a link for the environmental section of the BK MP that our dozy miniscule apparently signed off on - 4. FINAL BANKSTOWN AES Section 4 Environmental Management Issues

Besides the MSM - seemingly with their heads in the sand on this issue - I've got to ask why the hell Senator Milne & the Greens aren't all over this?? 
Maybe this will grab their attention?? Not sure if it is true or not.. ..but I heard a rumour that AirServices Australia are sitting on a ticking time bomb, which has the potential to effect not only the Sydney basin water table but any of a number of areas in Australia with an airport facility that is big enough to justify having an ASA firefighting service. 

The following is a quote from this article - Innovation converts ordinary clay into chemical trap:

Professor Naidu says there is a large global market for his product.

“Australia has 450 civilian and military airports, and nearly all of these have used firefighting foams in training or in real emergencies and are therefore contaminated sites. We are currently working with Airservices Australia to determine the feasibility of treating contaminated wastewater at airports.”

Environmental PFCs have been shown to accumulate in animal and human tissue, and are linked to bladder and liver cancer, endocrine disruption, and developmental and reproductive toxicity.

Stuart Khan, Associate Professor at the UNSW School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says the dangerous PFCs will linger even after the 'film-forming' foams is phased out. 

“Although application of these products to fight fires is now being phased out, there is still stock around that can be used, and broad prior use has a long impact due to the very slow breakdown rate of PFCs, and accumulation in living tissues,” he said.

 
Hmm...paints a rather grim picture but a least the DoD are onto it...FFS!

..err TICK..TOCK Tony & Wazza..P2