Page 318 - Week 01 - Thursday, 29 November 2012
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The remedial actions outlined in the action plan represent a diverse and interrelated mix of actions that are appropriate based on current scientific understanding, acknowledging that actions will, of necessity, be refined as our experience grows. These actions come at an estimated cost of at least $55 million over the next 18 years.
Clearly, the range of actions proposed for Lake Burley Griffin are applicable to the other major urban lakes in Canberra, Lake Tuggeranong and Lake Ginninderra, and to other major water bodies and ponds. The action plan recognises the need for sustained, enduring and substantive commitment to addressing the water quality issues of the lake and its catchments.
The task force recommended actions in the following key areas: governance and community engagement; community awareness raising and education; in-lake management; urban catchment management; rural catchment management; sewerage system management; river flow management; and lake closure protocols and communications.
In terms of governance and community engagement, the task force and stakeholder groups attached high importance to the creation of a single coordinating body—a catchment management coordinator—to ensure that the action plan can be effectively delivered and reported on.
The task force also proposed that the action plan be cemented in an intergovernmental catchment management agreement. That agreement would reflect shared aspirations and an enduring commitment to improving the condition of the lake and our catchments and the development of a catchment management strategy based on the action plan. The task force also recommended an ongoing role for a catchment management expert panel.
The task force recognised that increasing community awareness and education are key factors in reducing the impact of urban residential inflows of nutrients from organics and sediments into the lake. Targeted community on-ground actions are envisaged to raise awareness of the catchment issues, with changed behaviours making a tangible difference to the environmental quality of catchment areas.
To address poor lake quality, both the Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment and the task force identified a set of actions that can be taken. These include better modelling, trialling the re-establishment of submerged and fringing water plants, treatment of lake sediment, water column manipulation, and carp management.
While these actions are primarily the responsibility of the commonwealth, the ACT government will continue to cooperate with the National Capital Authority as they are progressively trialled and implemented as appropriate.
There are a number of key actions relating to the urban and rural catchments flowing into the lake that will clearly make a significant impact on the quality of the water in
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