Lake Macquarie laps on the shore of our most northern suburbs, often described as the forgotten North, but we want to make sure that’s not the case. We love all the waterways, both within our LGA and around them and Lake Mac is no exception.
The Lake Macquarie Coastal Management Program (CMP) is being developed by Lake Macquarie City Council and whilst Central Coast Council is not directly responsible for its development, we’ve certainly been involved and will continue to be involved as the CMP moves through the stages and ultimately into implementation. The Lake Macquarie CMP is currently on public exhibition (until 3 February 2023), so is a little bit ahead of our other CMPs, you can find out more and have your say on the Lake Mac Coastal page.
Lake Macquarie City Council have a stack of information on their website on their process and progress, including the technical studies. You can check it out, have your say and register for updates at: shape.lakemac.com.au/coastal
Our first stage of consultation is now finished and the results are available here! Thank you for sharing what you value and consider success to look like for Lake Macquarie through phase one of our community consultation as the new CMPs are developed. We have published the results and key findings of our consultation in this Summary Report and shared this important information with Lake Macquarie City Council. Your local knowledge goes a long way in helping us coordinate the actions that we need to implement for the long-term good health of Lake Macquarie!
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Consultation results
Timeline View
Who's listening
Yes. Lake Macquarie City Council are leading the delivery of the Lake Macquarie CMP with Central Coast Council providing support and assisting with management actions that fall within the Central Coast Local Government Area.
The Lake Macquarie CMP will be delivered by Lake Macquarie City Council with support from representatives from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment and Central Coast Council.
Lake Macquarie City Council have multiple opportunities for the community to get involved in, further information on these opportunities is available at: https://shape.lakemac.com.au/coastal
Central Coast Council undertook a survey which was designed to assist us in understanding how the community use and value waterways – this information is being used to assist in developing and delivering on actions associated with the ongoing health and maintenance of Lake Macquarie (we want to play our part too).
You can also register here to participate in focus groups for Lake Macquarie.
Council has a water quality monitoring program in place for all its waterways, including southern Lake Macquarie. Routine sampling southern Lake Macquarie began in 2017-18. These programs help to understand past and current condition, identify where we need to focus our management actions and determine long-term trends in water quality and ecological health.
Sampling is undertaken by scientists throughout the year at a number of representative sites. Data is collected on site condition, water chemistry, nutrient concentrations and a range of biological indicators which tell us about the health and resilience of each area. The program aligns with the NSW Estuary Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Protocols and allows us to compare our results to other estuaries in NSW.
The 2019-20 Waterways Report Card for the Central Coast Local Government Area has been released and includes Southern Lake Macquarie, Tuggerah Lakes, Brisbane Water, the Lower Hawkesbury River and the coastal lagoons – providing a clear picture of our entire waterways network. The 2019-20 report tells us:
- Of the 36 sites sampled, 25% are excellent, 39% are good, 33% are fair and 3% are very poor
- Brisbane Water estuary is generally considered good or excellent, with fair ratings at Narara Creek, Erina Creek and Kincumber Broadwater
- Water quality throughout the Tuggerah Lakes estuary was generally good, with fair results for Budgewoi Lake, Wallarah Creek, Canton Beach, Ourimbah Creek and Killarney Vale and an excellent rating for Chittaway Bay
- The water quality at our southern Lake Macquarie sites is excellent
- Our coastal lagoons vary from excellent at Cockrone Lagoon to very poor at Avoca Lagoon.
Council uses this information to track change, help guide our management decisions and identify areas where more detailed catchment audits are required.