Revealed: The stunning verdict on the future of one of the Gold Coast’s most popular family lakes

One of the Gold Coast’s largest and most loved suburban waterways can never be guaranteed to be healthy enough for swimmers all year round, a new report has found. READ WHAT IT SAYS >>>

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NIPPERS may not return to one of the Gold Coast’s most-loved suburban lakes because of the water quality, a new report warns.

Latest research reveals there is no easy solution to improving water quality at Lake Hugh Muntz in Mermaid Waters, leaving council to consider multiple future options.

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More than 500 people have signed a petition to the State Parliament, calling on MPs to demand the council allocate a special budget to back recommendations by the Griffith University Australian Rivers Institute.

A care group describes the lake as one of the Coast’s “best kept secrets”, where nippers once trained in a unique shark-free calm water that reached 12m in depth.

The latest report by council officers concludes:

● No single remedial works option has the capability to prevent future algal blooms in Lake Hugh Muntz.

● No combination of remedial works options will maintain a water-quality standard that facilitates a permanently swimmable lake.

Until the city finalises a management plan, council officers recommend “to manage and maintain the 66 gully baskets located in the roadside stormwater infrastructure around the lake”.

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About 87 tonnes of phoslock will be dumped in the lake this month to stop algal blooms, and a trial of emergent planting will be undertaken on the lake foreshore at Otway Park.

The report tracked the lake’s deteriorating water conditions since the 1990s, having been created after spoil was removed from the area to make surrounding properties flood resilient.

The lake forms part of the catchment’s stormwater system. Sixteen drains are linked to it.

“Over the past 40 years, stormwater run-off into the lake has deposited a thick layer of nutrient-rich sediment across the lake floor. This layer has gradually turned anoxic – lacking oxygen – resulting in varying oxygen levels of the water column,” the report said.

“Over time an increase in the salinity of groundwater entering the lake caused by the growth in canal estates, has also contributed to the changes in water quality within the lake. This has contributed to a change in the lake’s ecosystem from a freshwater environment to a brackish water environment.”

Residents on the Save Lake Hugh Muntz Facebook page are continuing to post photographs of the lake’s poor water quality, including shots of dead eels.

Area councillor Pauline Young said the council’s decision to fund $280,000 on phoslock was the largest investment yet after she had lobbied successfully for whole-of-city funding.

The new report will be debated by councillors at the next round of committee meetings.

“Ideally, we all want to see this issue resolved but we need to be realistic,” Cr Young said. “Nature is a tough opponent. Hopefully, this latest effort will go a long way towards resolving these blooms.

“I need to stress there is no guarantee of success but we are optimistic for a significant improvement for lake residents and the thousands who use the lake annually.”

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