Lake Tuggeranong – where the green water isn’t all just reflection. Photo: James Coleman.
When Tuggeranong Community Council president Jeffrey Bollard moved to the then-barely-built district in 1983, Lake Tuggeranong was little more than a creek.
“The only thing that was down here was the Soward Way bridge; there was a telephone exchange, but other than that, it was a bare paddock,” he says.
“And then as it filled up, my boys – now in their late 30s – went through Sea Scouts here. At that stage, the lake was in much better condition than now. It was kind of pristine – you could go swimming out here.”
Today, it’s a different picture.
Lake Tuggeranong today. Photo: James Coleman.
Shopping trolleys and rubbish remain an issue — as shown by one in the water mere metres from this week’s media conference — though bottles and cans have decreased since the Container Deposit Scheme began.
“We’ve been organising lake clean-ups twice a year since 2012,” Mr Bollard says.
“Initially, it was all cans and bottles, but now we’re seeing more paper-type litter and some other less desirable items.”
On one occasion, a full couch ended up on one of the lake’s three small islands. “It was a challenge for the scouts to work out a way of getting it off there,” recalls Tuggeranong Community Council vice-president Glenys Patulny.
One thing’s clear: locals want change.
“Probably one of our meetings per year is dedicated to the lake,” Mr Bollard says.
“And when we do community surveys about why people like Tuggeranong, the lake always features highly – it’s the greenery, it’s the views out to the Brindabellas. The people who live here are really into the environment.”
Floating wetlands were installed in Lake Tuggeranong in 2021. Photo: ACT Government.
Over the past decade, the ACT Government and University of Canberra researchers have been searching for answers. Projects so far include new wetlands and “raingardens” across several suburbs, re-naturalised creek beds, floating wetlands at the lake’s northern inlet, and four “bioretention swales” at Kambah Playing Fields.
Now, a new “community consultation paper” outlines a proposed 10-year plan to restore Lake Tuggeranong and invites residents to provide feedback.
Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water Suzanne Orr said the focus now needed to shift to prevention.
“We’ve learnt through that pioneering work – that we’ve been leading the world on, as far as interventions and techniques go – that we now need to put our focus on stopping pollutants from getting into the system in the first place,” Ms Orr said.
“At the start of the stormwater system, it’s going to be asking people if they’re willing to grab a second green bin and pick up your leaves a little bit more enthusiastically, so that they don’t end up in the drains, or are you willing to support extra street sweeping or a slightly different design of kerbs for better water run-off.”
From left to right: Tuggeranong Community Council president Jeffrey Bollard and vice-president Glenys Patulny, ACT Labor MLA Caitlin Tough, Minister for Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Water Suzanne Orr, and ACT Labor MLA Taimus Werner-Gibbings. Photo: James Coleman.
The lake’s most dangerous problem is blue-green algae – the same toxic bloom that has recently killed two dogs at Lake Ginninderra.
Research shows blue-green algae feed on phosphorus, almost all of which enters Lake Tuggeranong through stormwater drains and creeks. Half of that phosphorus is in “dissolved, bioavailable forms”, like leaves, grass clippings, fertiliser, compost, soil and sewage, meaning the algae easily absorb it.
Some cans are still making their way into the lake, but not as many as before the introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme. Photo: James Coleman.
To reduce the frequency of toxic blooms, the amount of phosphorus entering the lake needs to decrease by about 700 kilograms each year – a reduction of 50 to 60 per cent.
“Under these conditions, some blue-green algae would be present, but the likelihood of problem blooms would be lower than now, and the lake should mainly be in a condition suitable for contact-based activities,” the consultation paper states.
So far, the government’s various creek and wetland projects have cut phosphorus by about 13 to 15 per cent.
The paper identifies extra street sweeping as the single most effective and affordable way to make further gains. Depending on how much is invested, it could remove between 200 and 400 kilograms of phosphorus each year.
“An optimised regime of street sweeping is both the most beneficial and cost-effective management option found yet,” it reads. But there are “no silver bullets”.
“Algal blooms can’t be prevented entirely: the best that can practically be achieved is to prevent algal blooms in three out of four years on average.”
The public has until 11 December to submit ideas on how to restore the lake. Photo: James Coleman.
Local ACT Labor members Caitlin Tough and Taimus Werner-Gibbings say the ultimate goal is to make the lake safe and usable again.
“The ideal is for people to be able to use the lake, however they would, whenever they want – if they wanted to go for a paddle up their knees or even a swim on a hot day – without having to go to Pine Island or check the water quality,” Mr Werner-Gibbings said.
“That’s the ideal, but it will require a team effort from everyone in Tuggeranong.”
Options to restore Lake Tuggeranong is open for feedback on the ACT Government’s YourSay Conversations website until 11 December.
