ERRA recently contacted the council outlining ongoing community concern and frustration regarding environmental issues facing the lake, one of a number of "intermittent closed and open lakes and lagoons" (ICOLLs) in the Bega Valley Shire.

Carina Severs, ERRA chairperson, said the alliance was concerned catchment erosion and movement of sediment into Lake Curalo was reducing the overall health, water depth and quality of the lake.

"We continue to be frustrated with the complete lack of action on this important matter," Ms Severs said.

Ms Severs said the completion of the Lake Curalo Coastal Management Plan (CMP) was key to funding for works such as bank stabilisation, lake dredging and other mitigation works.

"We understand the CMP is still in draft form and requires a public consultation period prior to being gazetted - the consultation has been delayed for a third time with no indication of when this might happen," she said.

"The document really needs to be out there, BVSC needs a strategy for fixing this problem.

"Recommendations from the 2002 and 2007 sedimentation studies have not been actioned by BVSC," Ms Severs said.

READ MORE: 'Putrid' Lake Curalo remains a concern, despite recent flushing rains

BVSC coastal management officer, Rachel Duczynski said due to changes to the Coastal Management Framework, council was required to complete a scoping study for the entire Bega Valley coastal zone.

"The existing CMPs were put on hold pending outcomes of the scoping study, which is currently being finalised with the CMPs to recommence in the coming months," Ms Duczynski said.

"This will include additional meetings with key stakeholders and the project focus group followed by public exhibition where the broader community will have the opportunity to review and provide comment."

Ms Duczynski said the scoping study was due to be completed in the 2021-22 financial year followed by the existing draft CMPs being finalised by mid-2022, which would time with the NSW government's Coastal and Estuary Grants funding round opening.

Ms Severs said with several water courses running into the lake, the community was worried while things were not progressing, it was continuing to fill up with silt.

"It's gone from something like eight metres deep in parts to being knee deep," she said.

"It's such a waste of a great town asset and is going to get worse. I think it deserves better than that, the town deserves better than that.

"Mitigation works need to be done, artificially opening it isn't enough," Ms Severs said.

According to Ms Duczynski, entrance openings were undertaken to mitigate and reduce the impacts of inundation on key infrastructure.

"Estuary entrance openings are not undertaken to achieve water quality outcomes due to the limited tidal movement or 'flushing' in most ICOLLs," Ms Duczynski said.

"In extreme circumstances, entrance management policies allow for water quality based emergency openings should these be feasible."

According to BVSC, water quality sampling was undertaken in sub-catchment waterways and drainage channels around the lake in March 2021, which Ms Duczynski said would help narrow down specific areas where work could be implemented to improve water quality and estuarine health.

"As is common in urbanised areas with a disturbed and partially industrialised catchment, nutrient and sediment input from across the catchment continues to be an issue," Ms Duczynski said.

READ MORE: Lake Curalo opened after heavy rains, first time since 2014

Ms Severs said the Barclay Street stormwater erosion channel was the biggest problem, with large volumes of sand being dumped into the lake whenever it rained.

"We want action and a plan, before it's too late and we don't have a lake anymore," she said.

Ms Duczynski said the Barclay Street drainage channel had already been identified in the CMP and detailed proposed management actions provided, and the community would be able to review those actions through the exhibition process.

"There will also be opportunities for community participation via planting days, workshops and information sessions in the implementation phase," she said.

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