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MEDIA RELEASE

24 April 2007

AUTHORITY TO OPEN LAKE ILLAWARRA ENTRANCE

  Chairman of the Lake Illawarra Authority, Mr Doug Prosser today announced that after heavy rainfall in the catchment of Lake Illawarra over the past few days the Authority has arranged to open the lake. 

Officers of the Department of Natural Resources have been monitoring lake levels and weather patterns for the Authority since the start of the day anticipating that an opening would be necessary. 

An excavator commenced work at the entrance around lunch time removing sand from the beach berm to create a small channel to the sea. It is expected that the channel will be completed and the lake opened at around 5:00pm today. 

The recent rain has raised lake water levels some 900mm above mean sea level, which is 100mm above the level agreed by Wollongong and Shellharbour City Councils for the Authority to open the lake when it is closed. 

“The agreed opening level has been determined to maximise the effect of scouring sand out of the channel and to minimise the potential for flooding to low lying areas. 

At the current level, water is lapping the banks of much of the perimeter of the lake and a further rise in level would see inundation of low lying property particularly along Windang peninsula and at Lake South. 

Opening of the lake at the agreed level will scour and erode a large volume of sand out of the main channel, which would otherwise not happen if the lake was opened at a lower level” Mr Prosser said.

For more information contact:   Doug Prosser (p) 42611342

Brian Dooley (m) 0416 288022