Mayor Green responce 22 Feb 2010

Dear Mr Pawson

Update Request - Lake Tabourie Condition

Thank you for your extensive comments on Tabourie Lake conditions. Council is genuinely interested in listening to the views of the community. As part of the review of the Estuary Management Plan for Tabourie Lake, Council has recently conducted extensive community consultation to gather the views of the community on the values and issues associated with the lake. Your views will also be considered as part of this review.

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify and comment on some of your statements. For instance, I am not sure why you say that "Council by their own admission have been recording the declining conditions of the lake." Council has monitored water quality in the lake for many years now. Water quality in the lake has fluctuated between 'Poor' to 'Excellent' but there is no trend showing an ongoing decline. Short term declines in water quality, such as what you may have observed recently, are expected to be reversed if we move into a period of higher rainfall.

The current drought has had a significant effect on the lake. The condition of Tabourie Lake over the last few months has been similar to numerous other lakes on the South Coast. These lakes have all been suffering the effects of drought – closed entrances, low water levels, algal blooms and fish kills.

In addition, the large amount of sand at the entrance to the Lake is echoed at the entrances of most of our lakes. It is not a local factor that is causing sand to build up at Tabourie. The sand is being washed ashore by the ocean (a natural process) and there have not been any recent floods to scour the sand out. Council has trialled removing sand from other entrance (such as Burrill Lake and Shoalhaven River). In the absence of floods the sand quickly accumulates again by natural coastal processes.

Council has committed significant resources to the management of its 14 major estuaries, including Tabourie Lake. It is not true to say that what has been done to date is study after study. The review of the Tabourie Lake
Estuary Management Plan has shown that 88% of the strategies in the Plan have been done or partly done. These actions have included some major on ground projects. For example, in July 2007 Council connected the first house to the new $9.3 million sewerage scheme for the Tabourie village. This is likely to be one of the most significant things ever done for the environment of Tabourie Lake and I expect it will be of enormous long term benefit to the water quality of the lake.

If you have specific suggestions to make about what actions you think Council can take to better manage the lake I would be happy to have them considered as part of the review of the Estuary Management Plan.
Kind regards


Paul Green
Mayor

1439E
D10/37562