Black Swan Lake shock: council decides future on the remaining portion of waterway

The remaining section of Black Swan Lake will not be saved after the council rejected a solution from the Gold Coast Turf Club.

THE remaining section of Black Swan Lake will not be saved after the council rejected a solution from the Gold Coast Turf Club.

Council CEO Dale Dickson in an email to Mayor Tom Tate said the proposal was cost prohibitive, leading to a potential bill of between $600,000 to $1.5 million.

The CEO’s report effectively ends council debate on the city’s longest running environmental drama with Cr Tate noting that the council resolution was “not to spend further rate payer funds and resources”.

Workers move earth at Black Swan Lake at Bundall, which has almost been filled in. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

The Bulletin has previously reported lake supporters and the Turf Club had considered a compromise deal which was put to council.

About 80 per cent of the so-called Bundall “borrow pit” was filled and due to be top soiled for a grassed area, leaving about 3500 sqm of water in the southwestern corner.

“The proposal is at no cost to the Turf Club. Council would be responsible for capital costs and the ongoing maintenance of the remaining water body,” Mr Dickson told the Mayor.

The Turf Club would seek financial support to change its operational permit, amend the existing licence to occupy and beautify the entire “borrow pit area”.

“Based on an internal assessment of the proposal, I do not consider that it should be accepted,” Mr Dickson wrote.

Black Swan Lake at Bundall on the Gold Coast, filling with water after rain.

The Turf Club advised council in late February that if it rejected the proposal, it would continue to finalise the filling as originally planned.

“It is estimated that it would cost between $600K to $1.5M — excluding contingency — to undertake the necessary works and planning to ensure the smaller water body is established in such a way to try to improve water quality and provide long term sustainability,” Mr Dickson said.

“The cost range is due to the unknown level of treatment required to appropriately dispose of sediment.”

Council would have to address stormwater discharge issues, sediment removal and any required treatment, weed clearing, building an access ramp for maintenance purposes and developing of a long term water management strategy.

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Black Swan Lake at Bundall on the Gold Coast after heavy rain.

“The same issues that the water body has experienced in the past are still considered likely due to the smaller size of the water body, shallow water depth, lack of flow and the nutrient load derived from the equestrian precinct,” Mr Dickson said.

Wildlife Queensland Gold Coast branch president Sally Spain has questioned council’s costings and confirmed that residents would protest at tomorrow’s full council meeting.

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Wildlife Queensland Gold Coast and Hinterland branch president Sally Spain talking to the protesters protesting the fill in of Black Swan Lake in Bundall. Picture: Jerad Williams.

“This is still subject to a legal investigation that is ongoing. It is still home to an extraordinary number of birds. They are still clustering there,” Ms Spain said.

Mr Dickson described the Turf Club proposal as “problematic at best”, given the site had a history of poor water quality, there were algal blooms and outbreaks of avian botulism.

“The site provides limited aquatic vegetation and does not represent important habitat for flora and fauna species,” he said.

“The site is not mapped as containing bioregional or local significance wildlife corridors. Several threatened, vulnerable or endangered fauna species are assessed as being potential occurrences in the locality of the site, but the majority are considered as unlikely occurrences.”