Camden Haven High School students are helping to find a long term solution and fix the ailing area of Lake Cathie through their investigation.
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Students have visited the location and have applied their Marine Biology knowledge to collect samples for ongoing research at Lake Cathie and Lake Innes.
Marine Biology teacher Dr Deb Geronimi completed her PhD in estuary microbiology and said the students are getting hands-on research for a real problem.
"They are learning a whole new set of skills and it's good for them to be helping the wider community on this project," she said.
Students are using kayaks to travel from Lake Cathie up to Lake Innes.
They are compiling a collection of water samples and video recordings to send to the relevant stakeholders for management of the lake system.
Marine Biology student Holly Dodge said it's good to be involved.
"Everything helps, especially the water testing as it's giving facts to the Revive Lake Cathie group to back up what they're trying to prove and fix," she said.
In May the students collected water samples from the surface of five locations around Lake Cathie.
They tested the salinity, pH, and levels of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia.
Student found the salinity was very high, after it measured 47 parts per thousand in some areas compared to the ocean salinity of 35 parts per thousand.
When students tested the pH at the lake, some areas were off the scale of their equipment and measured over pH 8.8 compared to the usual pH of 8.2.
Also affected is the oxygen levels dissolved in the water and sediments, which allow sulphate reducing bacteria to grow in these conditions, raising the levels of hydrogen sulphides.
A spokesperson from the school said these conditions are toxic to most living things, with the presence of ammonia in some spots, which is indicative of dying fish, crabs and oysters, identified by students on the shores of the lake.
Students will submit their results to Revive Lake Cathie group and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to assist in the planning for a long term solution for the area.
Dr Geronimi said the health of the lake begins with the very smallest microorganisms.
"They were the first living organisms on this planet and will probably be the last," she said.
"These microorganisms are struggling to adapt to the constantly changing environment of the lake, and as a result the nutrients are not being recycled, decomposition is slowing and the nitrogen cycle is unbalanced."
Dr Geronimi's proposal is to keep Lake Cathie open to the ocean permanently and fill Lake Innes back in to restore to a freshwater lake.
