A Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) station that helps predict Mandurah’s weather is tipped to be moved from its Breakwater Parade home, after the current location was deemed inadequate.
Located at the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club the Mandurah Automatic Weather Station is one of two BOM facilities in the city.
The other is a manual rain gauge which is situated on Marsh Place in Halls Head.
A report filed by the City of Mandurah’s director of sustainable development Tony Free and presented at the council’s meeting on November 14 has outlined the city’s plans to move the station to a new location Halls Head.
BOM have been seeking to relocate station from its existing site for some time, after experiencing difficulties with equipment readings.
Several factors have been reeking havoc to the readings including severe weather conditions, large objects such as boats and trailers being store too close and nearby Norfolk pines growing so large they’re threatening to impede the data.
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According to BOM the proposed site boasted ideal conditions, as it would protect the station from weather elements that may interrupt its predictions.
Council unanimously moved that they were in-favour of the shift, however will have to wait until the ordinary council meeting on November 28 to officially give the project the green light.
The proposed site is on a 185 square metre excision of a city reserve located on McLarty Road.
In April 2017 council moved to create the new lot so that the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation could lease the land to house an Air Quality Monitoring System.
As the system only requires 69 square metres, BOM saw the opportunity to capitalise on the remaining space and approached the city council.
The co-location will see the monitoring system and weather station positioned side by side.
A head lease between the department and the city has been proposed, and a sub-lease between the department and BOM.
The proposed site is only 2.68 kilometres in a straight line from the existing site.
