Dalmeny Matters has approached Eurobodalla Shire Council to ask why no Management Plan had been developed for Mummaga Lake before the sale of council-owned land was approved earlier this year.
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The group cites an independent inquiry from 2002 that classified Mummaga Lake as being "in need of significant protection" and recommends "limiting any new urban and rural residential development to within the existing boundaries of such developed areas"
A spokesperson for the group claims enormous remedial costs have been faced by other councils where clearance and development resulted in "the occurrence of blue green algal blooms" and a "requirement for mechanical aeration of the water body to reduce the release of nutrients accumulated in lake sediments".
"The Healthy Rivers Commission Independent Inquiry into Coastal Lakes outlines Management Plans for coastal lakes across the South Coast and discusses the serious threats to these fragile systems which can result from mismanagement," the spokesperson said.
"Emphasis is given to the need to limit residential development in coastal lake catchment areas, and specifically mentions small South Coast communities as unsuitable for new subdivisions, stating that 'expansion of these villages would impact adversely on the ecosystems of such coastal lakes'.
"Under the Coastal Management Act 2016 Eurobodalla Council has a responsibility to develop a Coastal Management Plan, including Estuary Management Plans, however Council state on their website that Mummaga Lake does not have an existing plan."
Dalmeny Matters also cited the State Environmental Planning Policy (Coastal Management 2018).
"The plan states that 'development consent must not be granted to development on land within the coastal zone unless the consent authority has taken into consideration the relevant provisions of any certified coastal management program that applies to the land," the spokesperson said.
"Dalmeny Matters have voiced concerns to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, the Hon Rob Stokes, that Eurobodalla Council has not not their responsibility to form a management plan, and seem intent on clearing and developing the catchment area without properly assessing the serious impacts such development may have."
The commissioner of the 2002 inquiry, Dr. Peter Crawford, said "it is not only the environmental values of coastal lakes that are being threatened".
"The various human activities that depend on 'healthy lakes', such as tourism, fishing, and oyster growing, are also being placed at risk," he said.
"There is everywhere a need to ensure that current and future decisions being to 'turn the tide' and ensure that the remaining values of these natural assets are maintained."
