Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study

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Consultation has concluded

Lake Illlawarra entrance with training walls visible

Update:  Between 18 November - 20 December 2024 we'll be sharing more information including the shortlisted entrance management options, the Study report and a summary of the report. Please visit the Our Wollongong engagement site to learn more and share your feedback.


Wollongong and Shellharbour City Councils are working together with the NSW Government to assess options for the Lake Illawarra Entrance. The project, called the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study, is looking at options to manage the impacts and changes that have occurred around the lake entrance and lake entrance foreshore. The community will be invited to share their feedback on the options.


Background:

In 2007, Lake Illawarra was permanently opened, by building training walls where the lake meets the ocean (the entrance) by the former Lake Illawarra Authority. This was done to address several issues including water quality, odour, and algal blooms.

The permanent opening of the channel has led to some improvement in water quality but has created significant and unintended changes to the lake and its entrance channel.

The changes that have impacted the Lake include:

  • Increased erosion along the Windang foreshore
  • Movement of sand underneath the Windang bridge piers and need for protection works
  • The lake’s water level now constantly fluctuates with the ocean tides. This means the average water level has dropped, but the tidal range in the lake has increased, and is projected to continue to increase for a long time
  • Increasing tidal ranges within the lake that have led to impacts on key habitats including seagrass and saltmarsh
  • Undermining of built assets such as jetties and boat ramps

Tell me about the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study:

In 2020, Shellharbour and Wollongong Council created a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for Lake Illawarra to coordinate its management among stakeholders. Through strategic direction and actions, the CMP aims to address threats to the lake's value and sustainability. The Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study is an action under the "Manage the Entrance Channel (EC) " strategy, one of nine management strategies identified.

The study is looking at options for managing the lake entrance, and parts of the foreshore within the entrance channel that are actively eroding. The study will also consider a range of environmental, social, economic and cultural perspectives.

The UNSW Water Research Laboratory (WRL) are the expert consultants doing the study.

You can find out more by:

  • reading the FAQs
  • viewing the videos about impacts
  • reading the data compilation and findings of the depth survey that are part of the Study
  • reading about impacts of the permanent entrance in the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program documents.

Take part:

The Illawarra loves the lake! And not just us, but people who come to visit as well.

We know it’s a valued and important natural asset to our communities. When the Study has been completed, we’ll invite you to share feedback on a shortlist of recommended options. These options will be created using a decision-making framework based on the community values of the lake, and expert advice. Your input will help us define suitable options for managing the entrance.

If you want to receive updates about the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study, and be directly notified when engagement opens, please register here.



This project is supported with funding from the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Management Grant Program.


Update:  Between 18 November - 20 December 2024 we'll be sharing more information including the shortlisted entrance management options, the Study report and a summary of the report. Please visit the Our Wollongong engagement site to learn more and share your feedback.


Wollongong and Shellharbour City Councils are working together with the NSW Government to assess options for the Lake Illawarra Entrance. The project, called the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study, is looking at options to manage the impacts and changes that have occurred around the lake entrance and lake entrance foreshore. The community will be invited to share their feedback on the options.


Background:

In 2007, Lake Illawarra was permanently opened, by building training walls where the lake meets the ocean (the entrance) by the former Lake Illawarra Authority. This was done to address several issues including water quality, odour, and algal blooms.

The permanent opening of the channel has led to some improvement in water quality but has created significant and unintended changes to the lake and its entrance channel.

The changes that have impacted the Lake include:

  • Increased erosion along the Windang foreshore
  • Movement of sand underneath the Windang bridge piers and need for protection works
  • The lake’s water level now constantly fluctuates with the ocean tides. This means the average water level has dropped, but the tidal range in the lake has increased, and is projected to continue to increase for a long time
  • Increasing tidal ranges within the lake that have led to impacts on key habitats including seagrass and saltmarsh
  • Undermining of built assets such as jetties and boat ramps

Tell me about the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study:

In 2020, Shellharbour and Wollongong Council created a Coastal Management Program (CMP) for Lake Illawarra to coordinate its management among stakeholders. Through strategic direction and actions, the CMP aims to address threats to the lake's value and sustainability. The Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study is an action under the "Manage the Entrance Channel (EC) " strategy, one of nine management strategies identified.

The study is looking at options for managing the lake entrance, and parts of the foreshore within the entrance channel that are actively eroding. The study will also consider a range of environmental, social, economic and cultural perspectives.

The UNSW Water Research Laboratory (WRL) are the expert consultants doing the study.

You can find out more by:

  • reading the FAQs
  • viewing the videos about impacts
  • reading the data compilation and findings of the depth survey that are part of the Study
  • reading about impacts of the permanent entrance in the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program documents.

Take part:

The Illawarra loves the lake! And not just us, but people who come to visit as well.

We know it’s a valued and important natural asset to our communities. When the Study has been completed, we’ll invite you to share feedback on a shortlist of recommended options. These options will be created using a decision-making framework based on the community values of the lake, and expert advice. Your input will help us define suitable options for managing the entrance.

If you want to receive updates about the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options Study, and be directly notified when engagement opens, please register here.



This project is supported with funding from the NSW Government’s Coastal and Estuary Management Grant Program.


Consultation has concluded
  • Update

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    Thank to those who have registered to receive updates on the Lake Illawarra Entrance Options study. We hope the material on the website has been informative and provided useful background of the history of the lake and the entrance opening.

    We understand the issue of ongoing erosion in the entrance channel is concerning and Councils and the NSW Government continue to work together to consider future management alternatives. Options for management of erosion within the channel are being considered by a team of scientists and engineers through the Entrance Options Study.

    This technical study will help decision makers to better understand the processes driving erosion in the entrance channel, and how options would need to be designed to work with nature in the long term. All the options will have trade-offs. Some may not work as well with nature, and some of them may impact more on community values and lifestyle.

    Councils are preparing to host community drop-in sessions in November when the final stage of this study is complete. During these sessions, Council staff and consultants will share the options with the community and explain their recommendations. The community will have the chance to ask questions and provide their feedback.

    We understand how much the community values the lake and their way of life on the coast. Alongside the Entrance Options Study, Council continues to undertake management actions to enhance and protect the health of the lake and its communities. More information on current projects and upcoming community events on Council’s Lake Illawarra website.

    In the meantime, community members are invited to share their questions and concern on this page. This information is helpful to understand the needs of the community and how this situation has impacted what they value about the lake.