Lake Ginninderra is expected to drop by 500 mm over the next four weeks. Photo: James Coleman.
The ACT Government is warning “there might be an increase in odour” in central Belconnen over the next four weeks as the level of Lake Ginninderra drops by half a metre.
“During the week commencing 16 June, the water level in Lake Ginninderra will begin to be progressively lowered by approximately 500 mm in total, weather permitting, to facilitate investigations as part of the Emu Bank foreshore upgrade,” a statement from the government reads.
“During this period, the water level will appear lower than usual. It is possible there may be an increase in odour from the lake if the lake bed is exposed.”
Lake Ginninderra, with a surface area of 1.05 square kilometres and an average depth of 3.5 metres, is fed by a 98.8 square kilometre stormwater catchment. The other end drains over a spillway chute on the Ginninderra Drive embankment, and down the Ginninderra Creek (and eventually over the Ginninderra Falls just over the ACT’s north-western border).
The government says the lake’s level will be lowered in a “staged process” of around 80 mm a day to avoid erosion that could be caused by flushing megalitres of water down the creek in one hit.
Once complete, crews will start “investigative works” at the lake edge along Emu Bank as part of the foreshore upgrade.
Trees have been uplifting pavers all along Emu Bank. Photo: ACT Government.
Last year, a government study at Emu Bank concluded tree roots were the “highly likely cause of significant damage” to the existing lake retaining wall and the cause of trip hazards due to lifted pavers.
Design work is still underway, but all the problematic trees along Emu Bank are set to be removed and replaced with mature trees of “a more suitable species” with a less aggressive root system, and located further away from the lake’s edge. The existing pavers will also be replaced.
More broadly, the government says it’s exploring options to relocate the lake’s retaining wall itself to “widen the public realm” and “improve the foreshore area and make it more inviting for the community to spend time in this area”.
Minister for City Services Tara Cheyne has said she hopes Emu Bank will become a “focal point” for the Belconnen town centre under the government’s $20 million Belconnen Regional Plan, which was promised in the lead-up to the October election.
There will also be upgrades coming for the nearby Margaret Timpson Park, including a new playground, new public toilets, barbecues, picnic tables, landscaping, and an accessible ramp to the park on the northern edge.
Meanwhile, a new water play area with picnic tables and landscaping is also coming for the Emu Bank inlet.
“It will bring a bit of renewal and vibrancy to this area, which is underutilised,” Ms Cheyne said.
“Many people walk through it and don’t stop and linger, despite the investment that we made in this site about 12 years ago.”
The government warns several sections of Emu Bank will be unavailable to the community over the coming weeks and months, but signage will be in place to detour pedestrians “as required”.
When the works are finished, it’s expected that rainfall and stormwater will return the lake to its normal level within “several weeks”.
