URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO STOP FURTHER SPREAD OF NOXIOUS SEAWEED FROM LAKE CONJOLA

Wednesday, 07 November 2001 10:00

The warning comes following no sign of serious or effective action being taken 18 months after the first reports of outbreaks.

"Despite the known serious nature of this noxious seaweed, and the speed and ease with which it spreads, choking other aquatic life in its path, Shoalhaven Council, Government departments and other bodies that should be acting - are still chewing the cud" said TEC natural areas campaigner Fran Kelly.

"Do those who have the authority to act really believe it will just go away - or do they not care if the lakes and estuaries under their control just collapse? "This weed has spread to Burrill Lake and Narawallee Inlet already. In less than a year the area infected appears to have doubled in size from 10 to 20ha. Urgent action is needed now"

"At Conjola - the mayor is still promoting dreding of the lake, there is still use of high speed personal water craft, there are still boats coming in from outside the area to fish and use the lake for other purposes, and there are still development proposals that will add nutrients and feed and expand the weed further.

"Most recently a crazy, unsustainable sewerage strategy - putting sewage water into sand dunes behind the lake and placing an STP close to a nearby nature reserve and in the sensitive back dune area been put forward for approval - is there no end to the short sightedness?"

Ms Kelly said: "the lake should be immediately quarantined while action is taken to reduce the weed. Following that any boats from outside Conjola should be banned, no dredging should occur, high speed water craft should be banned and a management strategy put in place on how to deal with the lake in future to contain the weed.

In addition she said, all planning should be reviewed to prevent new zoning and development around the lake and in its catchment. And the sewerage strategy should be scrapped in favour of a broader plan that looks thoroughly at how to deal with existing sewage problems rather than adding to them