The Barclay Street stormwater channel has been badly eroding, causing huge amounts of sediment to wash into the coastal estuary, reducing water quality and depth.

The channel is situated on Bega Valley Shire Council (BVSC) land located between the two sporting ovals, and consists of highly erodible sandy soils that collapse easily, washing into the lake.

The ongoing poor health of Lake Curalo is worsened by sedimentation from erosion and poorly managed stormwater runoff.

Eden resident Garry Hunter has expressed his concerns about the management of Lake Curalo to BVSC.

"I've been in Eden all my life and I learnt to sail on the Lake, now we have no hope of having even a small dinghy sail on the lake," he said.

Mr Hunter has been cleaning up rubbish around the sporting ovals for a number of months and observed the channel wasn't looking good.

"Especially with a drone, you can see very well how bad the siltation is."

A council spokesperson said the site has deteriorated over time due to a number of factors, including recent heavy rain events, and combined with other deterioration over time, a more comprehensive action plan is required.

"The draft Lake Curalo Coastal Management Program (CMP) currently under development aims to address these challenges," the spokesperson said.

Mr Hunter said that over the years, foreshore committees have been formed and studies undertaken, but nothing had actually been actioned as a result of the documented recommendations.

"Almost 20 years later, unchecked serious erosion and sedimentation continues to occur," he said.

"I think its about time something was done to slow the rate of siltation - that's the first step - they [council] have a responsibility to do works in this area."

The council spokesperson said council was able to implement some of the actions identified in the studies, including the Lake Curalo boardwalk, the development of an entrance management policy for the lake, development controls and water quality monitoring.

"In the short term, jute matting will be installed to reduce sediment input in key erosion spots along the channel.

"Longer term actions, including rehabilitating approximately 150m of drainage channel, have been identified in the CMP currently being drafted. Once completed later this year, council will look for funding opportunities to enable us to implement the recommended actions," the spokesperson said.

"Council has been working closely with the community over the last 12 months to improve the walking track, support a community clean-up day, ongoing water quality monitoring, and planning for an upcoming foreshore revegetation project."

Mr Hunter said revegetation alone won't solve the problem and that fixing up erosion doesn't need to be done as part of a CMP.

"Council has a responsibility to show leadership in environmental management and set a high standard for their stormwater sites," he said.

"This is not about dredging or sewerage spills, it's simply about erosion mitigation to slow the rate of sediment entering our lake.

"It's a significant environmental issue and time council secured the necessary funding for urgent works in key problem areas."

Mr Hunter acknowledges that erosion mitigation work is costly, however suggests that the cost of doing nothing is much greater and has already posed a significant negative impact on the coastal estuary and the community's enjoyment of it.

The council spokesperson said water quality is generally good, however, prolonged periods of low rainfall and a closed entrance do result in poor water quality.

"Everyone in the catchment has a role to play in reducing nutrient and sediment runoff to the lake," the spokesperson said.

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