Expert panel chosen to finally fix Tuggerah Lakes
Tuggerah Lakes is the environmental basket case of the Central Coast. Now an expert panel has been appointed to do what no one has done before; find a solution. SEE WHO IS ON THE PANEL
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Despite an eye-watering $33.25 million being spent on the health of Tuggerah Lakes since 2008 — and the overall water quality improving — the waterway still floods when it rains and chokes with silt when it doesn’t.
Now an expert panel has been chosen to rake over the coals of old reports and find a long-term solution.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch said the panel would be different to previous approaches to Tuggerah Lakes.
“The expert panel will do more than just produce another report. Its purpose is to pull together all previous reports to identify water quality solutions,” Mr Crouch said.
“The panel will also investigate what has been done in the past, what issues the community wants addressed, and what science says should be done in the future.
“This will help to guide Central Coast Council in formulating their future strategies and actions.”
Upper House state Liberal MP Taylor Martin said the expert panel’s inaugural meeting took place on Wednesday, April 22.
“The community is concerned about the water quality of Tuggerah Lakes and the panel will meet regularly to ensure we find the best ways to improve water quality,” Mr Martin said.
Central Coast Councillor for The Entrance Ward Jilly Pilon said it is important to listen to the community and other stakeholders.
“Addressing the health of Tuggerah Lakes is a longstanding issue for our community and I look forward to the panel collaborating with Central Coast Council to determine how we can improve water quality,” Cr Pilon said.
The water quality of Tuggerah Lakes has improved but what happens to that water at times of significant weather events and what happens to the lake bed and its tributaries during periods of drought causes the biggest headaches.
Tumbi Creek had been virtually closed to Tuggerah Lakes because of a build up of wrack and large sand islands began forming in the mouth of The Entrance Chanel — to the point one local councillor staged a mock `working bee’ to mow the newly grown grass — until massive rains in February flooded Chittaway and surrounding suburbs.
At the height of the flooding residents took shovels and an excavator onto North Entrance Beach to dig another channel to try and let out some of the lake.
The expert panel has been tasked to figure out how to avoid those two extremes, which is sure to reignite calls for permanent breakwalls at The Entrance.
The NSW Government has committed $200,000 for the panel, which will be chaired by Associate Professor William Glamore.
A working group has been established to guide the operation of the expert panel comprising staff from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and Central Coast Council.
THE PANEL
William Glamore is a highly-awarded Associate Professor and Principal Research Fellow at the Water Research Laboratory (WRL), School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of NSW Sydney. He was has undertaken independent studies on estuarine and coastal systems globally for more than 20 years.
Dr Katherine Dafforn is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Environmental Sciences at Macquarie University. She is an environmental scientist who has expertise in the ecological impacts of stormwater in estuarine and coastal systems.
Sian Fawcett is previously the manager of Central Coast Council’s Estuary Management Unit. She has extensive experience in managing the Tuggerah Lakes estuary including the Tuggerah Lakes Estuary Management Plan.
Dr Angus Ferguson is a senior scientist at the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and has expertise in water quality and ecosystems.
Dr Damian Maher is an Associate Professor at the School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University. He is a biochemist and brings experience in water quality and groundwater.
Nicole Ramilo is a principal engineer with BMT with expertise in stormwater, water quality monitoring and water sensitive urban design.
Dr David Wainwright is an environmental engineer who established Salients, a specialised coastal, water and environmental consulting company. He brings skills in coastal and estuarine morphodynamics, flooding and entrance management.
Stuart Waters is managing director and senior consultant with Twyfords Collaboration. He brings skills in working with communities and stakeholders on complex and challenging problems.