One of Australia's leading environmental scientists has addressed the August meeting of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on the dire situation of the ailing waterway at Lake Cathie.
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The meeting was on Wednesday (August 21) at the council chambers.
Associate Professor at James Cook University, Colin Creighton, specialises in coastal systems. He met with members of the Revive Lake Cathie committee on Tuesday.
Mr Creighton said there had been "plenty of big infrastructure works" in Australia and now was the time for "consolidation and optimisation" of the coasts.
"It is more about lifestyle, including everything from walking along foreshores to bike riding to bringing back fishers, foods and landscapes," he said.
"Lake Cathie and Lake Innes is no different."
Mr Creighton said it wasn't a case of allocating blame for "bad management" but to get a "win-win" for everyone.
"It is a case of we know how to do things better," he said.
Mr Creighton used the example of the South Australian Government investing millions of dollars into repairing a shellfish reef which "is bringing back everything from fish and prawns to biodiversity to lifestyle for the community".
He has a number of recommendations to revive the lake.
These include:
- Take the sand out of the ocean entrance to provide foreshore buffering particularly to the road and houses on the south side.
- Replace Kenwood Drive Bridge within an entire causeway to allow good tidal flow.
- Take as much sand out of the two islands forming either side of Kenwood Drive Bridge recreating deep water holes and channels.
- When the water level is high a small suction dredge up at the dug channel to reposition the reverse delta into the previously dug channel.
- Continue to manage the ocean entrance moving mobile sand around and ensuring good entrance management so the tidal lake is open for long periods rather than just a couple of weeks.
On August 14 Port Macquarie-Hastings councillors toured the ailing waterway in Lake Cathie.
The tour came after the lake received no funding in council's 2019-20 operational plan announced at council's June meeting.
