NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change assumed responcibility for Lake Tabourie

In April 2007, the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW assumed responsibility for many of the lakes, rivers and estuaries within NSW. The details of which are outlined on their web site www.naturalresources.nsw.gov.au/estuaries/

The Objective of this policy is to;
To manage the rivers and estuaries of NSW in ways which,
* Slow, halt or reverse the overall rate of degradation in their systems,
* Ensure the long-term sustainability of their essential biophysical functions
* Maintain the beneficial use of these resources.

After reading through the numerous documents listed on this site it is quite obvious that under the terms and conditions of the NSW State Rivers and Estuaries Policy there is a requirement to maintain and restore the natural order of these resources and Lake Tabourie certainly falls under that category.

So who is responsible for implementing this care?

To quote directly from the policy "The NSW Government will rely upon its agencies, local authorities and the community to translate the suite of component polices into practical management strategies. In offering a more coordinated and intensified encouragement role, the NSW Government looks forward to working with the community to achieve the Policy's objectives, so that the rivers and estuaries will continue to provide a quality environment, supporting a full range of community needs and amenities"
As required Shaolhaven Council implemented the Lake Tabourie Estuary Management Plan March 1997. [This can be found on the above website under "Major Estuaries of NSW" scroll to Lake Tabourie, open this file which is specific to Lake Tabourie]

The Management plan is actioned and reviewed by a committee, The Far South Natural Resource and Floodplain Management Committee and is currently under review. This committee is made up of Council and members of the local cummunity. At present the van park is not represented. I do feel the van park should have representation after all between three and five thounsand people visit Lake Tabourie tourist park annually, most regualr visitors.

One initiative the committee took was a community survey date July 2009 to evaluate if there had been change in the things that people valued about the lake, or the issues that need to be managed. The results confirm the thoughts and opinions we all share. The lake is a fantastic resource that we all enjoy, however, it has declined to a shallow, stinky undesirable swamp and the people want it fixed, they want the entrance opened and the lakes natural well being restored.

We need to support this process to ensure the appropriate action is taken to restore and maintain the lake in a fashion that upholds the objectives of the NSW State Rivers an d Estuaries Policy. Time is running short as the review meeting will be held in March this year, the committee is open to suggestions and ideas on what should be done to resolve this, so I am looking for feed back and suggestions that we can present.

Polution, smell, algae, silting, water quality and cleanliness and the enterance are the main factors.

Lake Tabourie walking the green mile

Lake Tabourie 26 January 2010 note the extremely low water levels. Records state the water level at 0.15m on the 26/1/10.





Without intervention the next heavy rainfall may very well transform Lake Tabourie from a saltwater lake into a seething fresh water swamp. Life within the lake relies on salt water and with the lake being less than half full the dilution factor of salt to water will be very high, if the water become too salty or too fresh the impact is significant on the wild life.
The catchment area for Lake Tabourie is recorded to be 43Km2 as such it is highly susceptible to siltation. Heavy rains will see masses of silt from the exposed dry lake banks and flats entering the lake, making it's way into what's left of the deep channels. The already stressed sea grass beds may simple perish under a blanket of slit destroying the vital feeding and breading grounds of many aquatic creatures.

Council identified, silting as a major concern to the ecology of the lake, as well as water quality and dilution capacity a concern to public health from increased levels of bacteria via runoff. [details can be found in the "Tabourie Lake Entrance Management Policy and Review of Environmental Factors" published by Shoalhaven City Council 23/01/01, I have a copy and can email it should anyone want one]

Knowing this,

Why are they not installing simple anti-siltation devices now, before any rainfall washes sediment into the lake.

Why are they not preparing the entrance so that a breach can be easily achieved before flooding occurs.

The lakes current level provides the perfect opportunity to clear out the entrance. The extraordinary low water levels would allow easy access for excavators and tippers to remove the massive sand build up at the entrance and deposit it further down the beach at a minimal cost and minimal affect on traditional wild life.

Algae and rotting vegetation

Lake Tabourie January 2010 note the condition of the water and shore line.









The amount of green algae type weed which is taking over the lake's surface choking everything in it's path aiding the destruction of the vital sea grasses. The expanse of this weed is increasing as the lake's water level reduces daily, soon that lake will be nothing but a carpet of green slime. The bottom left hand area of the picture shows the affected sea grasses - so important as a vital component of the breading grounds throughout the lake.

The deteriorating condition of Lake Tabourie

Lake Tabourie currently January 2010











Lake Tabourie a popular and favourite holiday destination on the South Coast of NSW, was once a pristine saltwater lake abundant with life. The clear clean waters once enjoyed by visitors and locals alike are all but memories as the condition of the lake slowly but surely declines.

The lakes water level is now so shallow indicators suggest it is below the low tide mark and continues to reduce at around 10mm per day. This reduction in water level is in turn reducing the surface area and volume of the lake which is now heavily covered in a slimy green surface type algae, (the only creature to thrive in such condition). This heavy thick coating is choking the lake – the sea grasses beneath are dying off with large areas of the lake floor have become muddy swamp of rotting aquatic vegetation. The shallow ocean end to the bridge over the highway is the most effected thus far, however, it is progressively moving up into the main body and won’t be long before the lake is all but a shallow swamp void of the traditional life it once supported.

Sewer overflow was a big contributor to the poor condition of the lake. Now the township has a pressurised main sewer system however the residue from days of old continue to plague the lake bed and some areas need dredging to remove the years and years of sewerage and silt build up. This residue is not helping the situation but at least for the moment fresh raw sewerage is not entering the lake - that we know of at present.

The main issue stems from the lake being closed for an extended period, low rainfalls and a gradual build up of sand in the entrance of the lake. It is in fact the build up of sand which is the greatest concern. The entrance was once a large basin clearly seen in early photos, however, this basin is now a sand mound some 300m long 300m wide and 1.5 – 2-m tall.

The additional concern is that without fresh salt water the lake will fill with more and more rain water as winter approaches – this fresh water will see raise to large numbers of fish kills as well as the death of many aquatic and semi aquatic creatures, flora and fauna, Lake Tabourie is a salt water lake not a fresh water pond as it may very well become without our help.

Local Councils and the State Government have an entrance management plan which permits Council to open the lake only to prevent flooding. This consists of digging a quick trench to drain off the water into the sea, this soon fills back in with sand closing the lake off again. For years now local residents and visitors alike have partitioned Council to open the lake properly, clear the entrance so that once again it flows with fresh clean water, without success. Part of the entrance management plan is an ecology study to evaluate the impact on wildlife if the lake was to be opened mechanically on a permanent or semi permanent basis. However that has not been completed as yet and may never see the light of day. But in the mean time the lake is and will die, resulting in the death of the very wildlife they say they are trying to protect.

The recent fish kill as reported in the Milton Ulladulla Times was described as a natural occurrence. It was recorded as a result of low diffused oxygen from shallow warm water, along with high algae blooms, aquatic vegetation and living creatures all competing for what little oxygen was available. This can only worsen as the lake shallows and warms, as the water level is dropping around 10mm per day. The algae continues to bloom, aquatic grasses and fauna are dying off adding more and more rotting vegetation to the thickening oxygen starved lake water. With the upcoming winter period just around the corner the heavy rainfall will flush the lake with high volumes of fresh water further reducing the quality of the lakes natural ecology.

The Government departments continue to argue the point on interfering with the natural order of things, concerns about possible endangered species and protected wild life all of which will be killed off when the lake dies and or the lake floods with excess amounts of fresh water and the toxins it brings from the surrounding catchment area.

Locals and visitors are not asking Council to change the ecology or change nature’s course - we are simply asking them to return the lake to what it once was – act as the caretaker they are empowered to be. The lake entrance has silted up with sands, some from which may very well be contributed to poor management in the past, some from wind, wave and other factors. These sand flats/dunes are gaining momentum as the sand rises grasses are taking hold trapping more and more sand as time goes by.
The solution is quite simple; all that is required is to remove the sands from the entrance recreating the basin which was how mother nature had constructed it, "the natural order of things".

This will leave a small sand bar allowing the lakes waters to break through naturally during the king tides and high rainfalls of summer as it has for generations.

However due to the very low level of the lake and the current condition it may need an initial opening to provide sufficient clean water to sustain and preserve life until mother nature is in control again. From there a simple maintenance plan of keeping the basin clear will effectively maintain a healthy natural lake.

There are several lakes on the South Coast which are breeding grounds for many fish species providing the next generation of fish to replenish the ocean and lakes alike – take one of these lakes off line and there will be a significant drop in the number of available fish in an already depleted resource.

Please join our group post your blog, stories, support and pictures of how the lake once was.