Water quality funding promised for Terrigal Beach and Tuggerah Lakes

The State Government has promised hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding to start the mammoth task of cleaning up some of the Coast’s most loved waterways — there’s only one catch.

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Separate community campaigns to improve water quality in two major Central Coast waterways have yielded results with the State Government announcing hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding.

NSW Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton visited the Central Coast today to announce $500,000 for Terrigal Beach and surrounding lagoons, and $200,000 to set up an expert group to work out how to clean up Tuggerah Lakes.

All of the funding is dependent on the coalition being re-elected at the March 23 election.

Rotting weed piled up on the shores of Tuggerah Lakes. Picture: Sue Graham

The Terrigal announcement follows a public meeting last week which revealed even on the best day there was a five to 10 per cent chance of getting sick from swimming at Terrigal Beach and Haven, and worse in Terrigal Lagoon.

Scores of swimmers and residents attended the meeting and raised concerns about the impacts on public health, tourism and marine life.

Gabrielle Upton said that while water quality had improved in recent times at some locations, the State of the Beaches 2017—18 report had found Terrigal Beach, Terrigal Lagoon, Wamberal Lagoon, Avoca Lagoon and Cockrone Lagoon were graded as having poor recreational water quality.

Concerned Terrigal resident Don Woods asks a question during the public meeting on water quality.

“We know stormwater pollution can have a significant impact on water quality but we need to have good information about where that pollution is coming from and how best to prevent it entering the beaches and lagoons,” Ms Upton said.

Terrigal State Liberal MP Adam Crouch said the funding would allow for a detailed, scientific audit and analysis of the pollution sources in the catchment and to find solutions to improve the water quality.

“Terrigal Beach is the jewel in the crown of Central Coast beaches. Local residents and its many visitors deserve to be able to enjoy the local environment and swim in clean, safe water,” he said.

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The push to address declining water quality in Tuggerah Lakes has been a hot button community issue for years, but culminated in a decision by Central Coast Council this month to push for further funding.

A week later the State Government was promising to establish a panel of experts to find the main sources of the decline.

“We know that the water quality around the edge of the lake is exacerbated by issues like poor quality stormwater flowing into the Lakes that carry everything from dog waste to garden fertilisers,” Ms Upton said.

David Mylan, Ros Fuller and Emily Clegg are campaigning for action to improve declining water quality at Terrigal particularly around The Haven. Picture: Sue Graham

“However, this also means we have a real opportunity to consider real ways to improve

water quality in the Lakes,” she said.

“This new initiative is about bringing the experts to the table, working across government agencies, with the council and the community, and looking at what has been done in the past, what the science says should be done in the future and what action the community wants taken.”