Page 1123 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 30 March 2011
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(b) the importance of the lake as a venue for water based recreation and primary contact activities such as rowing, kayaking, triathlon and dragon boat racing;
(c) the importance of the iconic values of the lake for Canberra residents and national and international visitors as a centrepiece of the national capital and a hub for tourist activity;
(d) the increasing number of events being cancelled due to closure of the lake resulting from poor water quality;
(e) the range of problems impacting on water quality in the lake including the discharge of treated sewage into the Molonglo River, recent sewage spills from both Queanbeyan and Fyshwick sewage treatment plants, the presence of contaminants in storm water run-off including faecal matter, and the presence of carp;
(f) the differing views among agencies and experts about the primary causes of poor water quality, and the best means to improve the situation; and
(g) the potential for effective management of the lake to be impeded by the numerous overlapping jurisdictions responsible for land management of its catchment, including the ACT Government, the New South Wales Government and the National Capital Authority; and
(2) calls on the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water to:
(a) direct the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment to investigate the state of Lake Burley Griffin including:
(i) causes of poor water quality and lake closures;
(ii) potential solutions to addressing the causes of poor water quality, including possible resource implications of these solutions;
(iii) any structural or jurisdictional changes that may improve water quality management for the lake; and
(iv) the implication of these findings for the ACT’s other major recreational waterways, such as Lake Ginninderra and Lake Tuggeranong; and
(b) report to the Assembly by 30 September 2011.
The matter I have brought before the Assembly today is one that is dear to the heart of many Canberrans, and that is the issue of the health of Lake Burley Griffin. The reason I have brought forward this motion today is that it is clear that the iconic feature of the city and centrepiece of the national capital is not quite as we would want it to be. It may look fine from the surface but what is going on underneath is quite a different story. If we remember that this waterway is one that was artificially
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