Re, “ Flannery predicting 100m of sea level rise? I'll need to see evidence of that, please. As far as I'm aware, he's never claimed anything beyond what the climate models predict, which is a few metres by 2100. “
Here you go…
Prof Tim Flannery's waterside getaway
PROFESSOR Tim Flannery, who infamously suggested sea levels could rise by eight storeys, could find himself in deep water if only a portion of his dire prediction is realised.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the controversial environmentalist owns a large, low-lying waterfront home on the Hawkesbury River, a remote getaway which only has water access.
The Coba Point home is jointly owned by Professor Flannery and his wife Alexandra Szalay, who bought it in 2003-- a buy seemingly at odds with his gloomy predictions. The home remains mortgaged to the ANZ bank.
According to his Coba Point neighbours, Professor Flannery's home is the largest property on the remote point and is a only few steps from the water.
"Yes, it is waterfront and his would be one of the biggest on the point and his house is probably set back about four or five metres from the water," neighbour David told 2GB's Ray Hadley yesterday.
"All of the properties are waterfront."
The neighbour said Professor Flannery runs a two-stroke outboard motor boat.
The man who leads the Gillard government's Climate Change Commission also owns a one-third share in a property at Berowra Heights.
Googong Dam spills as Queanbeyan seeks assurances
August 29, 2014
More than 1298 megalitres of water spilled from the Googong Dam earlier this week after heavy rainfall, leading Queanbeyan City Council to stress the importance of reassessing the dam as a tool to mitigate potential floods.
A spokesman from ACTEW Water, which manages the dam, said the spill occurred on Wednesday and Thursday when it exceeded its 119-gigalitre capacity.
"We had approximately 50 millimetres of rain fall into the catchment over the past seven days, resulting in an average spill rate of 1298 megalitres during the past 24 hours," he said.
This is not the first time the dam has spilled this year, with 3275 megalitres washing over the spillway in early April and further spills reported by ACTEW Water in May and July.
In April, Queanbeyan councillors renewed their calls to limit the dam's water levels to 80 per cent to 85 per cent of capacity to create an "air reserve", which would serve as a buffer against any repeat of the 2010 flood that caused $1.3 million of damage.
Queanbeyan mayor Tim Overall said some residents "do get nervous" when the dam reaches 100 per cent and when wet weather is forecast for the region.
But ACTEW Water said keeping water levels at 80 per cent to 85 per cent of capacity would have done little to stop the 2010 flood, despite agreeing to take part in a joint independent study with Queanbeyan council to consider other ways to assist in flood mitigation.
The spokesman said it was common for the dam to spill throughout winter when levels were close to 100 per cent and relatively uncommon during summer months due to a range of factors.
"ACTEW Water releases 10 megalitres per day out of the Googong and 100 megalitres on one day every two months, [according to] licence agreements which support the optimum functioning of the Queanbeyan River," he said.
But after this week's spill, Queanbeyan council's infrastructure group manager Phil Hansen said little progress had been made regarding the dam's management and concerned parties were still settling on a terms-of-reference agreement.
"We've been working with both ACTEW Water and the National Capital Authority to progress discussions of how the Googong Dam might be of benefit to the way Queanbeyan experiences floods," he said. "At the moment, we're putting together a terms of reference for work to progress and all parties have been very co-operative."
Despite the slow progress and no established time frame, Mr Hansen said the intentions of all parties was to achieve the best outcomes for all involved.
ACTEW Water continues to maintain the Googong is not a flood-mitigation dam and was instead designed for water storage purposes, although managing director John Knox has said Queanbeyan's downstream position meant it was "somewhat protected" by the mere existence of the dam.
"It is important to note that in the context of the Queanbeyan flooding, it's not just the Queanbeyan River which is significant but the Molonglo River, which joins Queanbeyan downstream of the Googong Dam," he said.
The ACTEW Water spokesman said the Googong Dam rose to 100 per cent capacity on April 1 and stayed full until July 7, which resulted in a number of spills during that period.
The Bureau of Meteorology's Sean Carson, who was not surprised the dam had spilled given the rainfall throughout the area, said the dam had remained close to capacity since the end of 2010.
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