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Recent strong winds, heavy rain and large swells have caused significant damage to community assets along the Lake Macquarie coastline, and erosion has exposed debris that has the potential to cause injury. Council officers have been assessing the situation. As a result of the latest East Coast Low event, the lake level reached around 0.65m AHD on Sunday 5 June at 11pm (see box below - What does AHD mean?). This is equivalent to
a 1 in 2 year lake flood (see box below - Flood terminology). How does this compare to previous events?
In April 2015, we experienced close to a 1 in 15 year lake flood, with the lake reaching 1m AHD. This gave a good indication of where the future lake level will be permanently by the end of the century as a result of ongoing sea level rise, and why Council is working with the community now to plan for the future. In the 'Pasha Bulker storm' of June 2007, the lake reached around 1.1m AHD, equivalent to a 1 in 35 year lake flood.
For comparison, the City's flood study indicates a 1 in 100 year lake flood will reach 1.5m AHD. This is considered a rare but major flood event. The real force of the most recent event was felt on the coast, with the storm surge rivaling the storm of 1974 which stranded the Sygna on Stockton beach.
The highest water level recorded in the Swansea Channel was around 1.3m AHD on Sunday 5 June at 7.45pm. Fortunately, this most recent event was short-lived compared to the Sygna event, during which ocean conditions lasted nearly a week.
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