Page 3617 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 2010
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underlying causes of the lake closures that have become increasingly frequent over the past few years are shared responsibilities and come from a range of sources.
From conversations with the NCA, I understand that the bulk of the pollution problems in the lake are residual and have built up over many decades and from a number of different sources. Even so, we have a problem, and the impact of this problem is starting to play out every summer as bacteria levels rise. Pollutants at the bottom of the lake get stirred up with increased flows, and blue-green algae spreads. Not only is this starting to result in disruption to many sporting events such as triathlon swims and rowing, it is also getting to the stage where it is making the lake a particularly unpleasant place to be for users of the lake over the summer, some even on land.
I think this is a particular problem that we need to address because it really is starting to play out across a range of recreational activities and tourism opportunities, and become, I think, a source of great frustration for many Canberrans. And it is easy to look at the many examples we have seen in the last couple of years. Obviously from my experience with triathlons, we are now seeing a situation where many races later in the season have to be cancelled or moved to an indoor swimming pool, which is clearly not in the spirit of the sport. But it also impacts on potential national events where many tourists will come to Canberra to compete.
The ACT is fortunate to have a regular spot in the national triathlon calendar, a race that is usually a selection race for an athlete seeking to compete for Australia in the annual world championships. That race is increasingly under question and obviously, with people coming from all over the country for such an event, has a quite direct impact on the ACT’s economy, particularly for the tourism sector.
We have seen it in terms of national rowing events. I recall a couple of years ago—I think it was the summer before last—when there was a national schools rowing event and many crews came to Canberra. There were question marks about whether they could be allowed on the water and there was quite some controversy after the fact that they had been allowed in the water. I think at that event there were 1,000 students participating. Their parents and various siblings had come with them.
Again, these are the sorts of events that we want to have in the ACT. They are great opportunities to bring tourists to this town. The fact that the lake is increasingly unavailable—you can almost write it off increasingly from January; it has got earlier and earlier each year—I think is a source of some concern and is something that we really need to address.
There are mixed reports about whether the monitoring of pollution flows into the lake is adequate. I know that the NCA does undertake this, but I know also that concerns remain in the community that there are specific point sources that continue to add to the problem that is sitting there at the bottom of the lake.
Even if we were able to find a way to clean up the sediments at the bottom of the lake, and that could be very challenging indeed, we also need to have confidence that we are not continuing to add to the problem by adding ongoing pollutants. Fertiliser
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