Lake Cathie: Port Macquarie Deputy Mayor addresses suburb’s suffocating waterway
Port Macquarie-Hasings Deputy Mayor has implored the community to remain ‘patient’ while the council continues to chip away at its coastal management plan to address significant health issues affecting Lake Cathie.
Mid-North Coast
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A Port Macquarie councillor has called for community patience to allow council staff to formalise its two-three year coastal management plan to help return the lake to its former glory.
At Wednesday’s meeting of councillors, Deputy Mayor Lisa Intemann lodged a notice of motion to request urgent communications be issued public from council staff, regarding the status of the coastal council’s Management Plan and the process it involves.
The motion was put forward in response to last week’s stakeholder meeting called by Revive Lake Cathie, who brought the lake’s decision makers together to help bash-out the best way forward for the lake’s revival.
In her address to the council, Ms Intemann noted the urgency needed to update the public on the Coastal Management Plan process, but also called for patience to allow the rejuvenation milestones to me adequately met.
“The lake system is much loved by many residents in this area and by many tourists,” Deputy Mayor Intemann said.
“It absolutely needs significant work done on it to restore it to health and I trust that focusing on the study through the CMP will set us on the right path.
“I ask residents to just be patient while we got through those studies as quickly as possible and I look forward to the communications plan and other matters arising from this resolution.”
That resolution, which was endorsed by council, included ‘developing and delivering a communications plan to for urgent commencement and progressive delivery over the next six months.’
The communications plan is to “clearly identify the role and responsibilities of council and the various state governments in the estuarine system, including a simple summary of land/water ownership and responsibilities”.
The council is currently at stage one of its CMP, the scoping study, with three other milestones to occur thereafter.
The CMP is likely to take between two-three years to develop, before any real practical resolutions can be considered.
The council’s CMP will look at Lake Cathie/Lake Innes and Bonny Hills Estuary and Coastline, incorporating the open coastline from the 4x4 access track adjacent to Dirah St, Lake Cathie to the southern side of Grants Head at Bonny Hills.
It was earlier agreed at Wednesday night’s meeting that dredging of the lake was not a suitable solution, and constant opening and closing of the estuarine system has been known to further exacerbate the sediment and sulphuric acid issues chocking the once pristine waterway.
Mr Intemann said consensus has been reached among stakeholders that the CMP is the best way forward.
“We need to do the studies, get the data, assess the information and decide what is going to be the priority actions for the lake system that will bring the greatest benefit to the lake and long term health and do less damage,” she said.
“That was certainly to do the Coastal Management Plan.”
One of the first options that could be explored is to close Lake Innes to prevent acid sulphate soils from leaching into Lake Cathie further a stream.
“There are various other psychical inventions proposed including upgrading Kenwood Dr Bridge, dredging, as well as opening between the lagoon and the ocean, but it was definitely agreed for the safety of the system to do these studies first,” she said.
Revive Lake Cathie Danielle Maltman said she was pleased action was being taken.
“We are happy that council agreed to the stakeholder recommendations from our meeting on 27 November,” she said, as ‘dredging under the current environmental conditions and were of great concern.’
She had previously, albeit reluctantly, agreed that the only real solution is the long-term Coastal Management Plan being led by the council.
“The two-to-three year vision of investigating, planning, implementing and delivery of the long-term sustainability for Lake Cathie and Lake Innes is difficult to accept, but the only choice in delivery of a holistic and sustainable approach,” she said.
“The community is informed the lake will not improve its current condition until a holistic plan is implemented through the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council CMP, which cannot begin until a scoping study is complete and signed off by Port Macquarie-Hastings Councillors and approved from DPIE.”
Council is currently at stage one of the CMP, the scoping study, with three other milestones to occur thereafter. The CMP is likely to take between two-three years to develop.
More information relating the CMP is available at https://haveyoursay.pmhc.nsw.gov.au/draft-coastal-management-program-scoping-study
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