Residents of the Far South Coast NSW community of Dalmeny say it is not uncommon for them to find rubbish including condoms, pregnancy tests, and dead fish while swimming in their beloved Mummaga Lake.
So, when Sally Christiansen learned that land near the lake would be developed into residential housing, she was instantly concerned about the further impacts on the waterway.
"We have that beautiful bush system that slows that [run-off] water down," she said.
"It filters that water and it stops it all pushing sediment, nutrients, and pollution into the lake."
The land was sold by Eurobodalla Shire Council to private developers in July 2021, and parts of the 100-hectare development area overlook and run alongside Mummaga Lake.
"You don't have to be an expert," Ms Christiansen said.
"If you clear that catchment area and replace that bush with hard surfaces, roads, roofs and gutters that have pollution in them … that's all going to rush down to our lake system."
Pollution 'heartbeaking' for residents
Dalmeny resident Sarah Coye's property is near Mummaga Lake. She frequently notices "grease glistening on the grass heading towards the lake".
Ms Coye has been removing pollution from the lake.
"I've cleared a pregnancy test recently, condoms, road signs, dead fish, bottles of bleach ... there's just so much rubbish and it's heartbreaking," Ms Coye said.
After four sewage spills in the past 12 months, Ms Coye felt a development nearby was the last thing the lake and surrounding area needed.
"I've seen absolutely no efforts from council to improve the infrastructure, so how can we possibly consider a 100ha development with hundreds of houses on top of a hill that is going to leach very slowly but absolutely towards Mummaga Lake?" she said.
Ms Coye has called for an offsets system to protect, restore, and manage the wetlands area close to the development — something the council has not yet adopted.
This is despite council's draft Coastal Estuary Management Plan, which includes Mummaga Lake, stating that "it is rare that development can have a positive or neutral impact when a previously undisturbed part of the catchment is developed, unless a system of offsets is somehow adopted".
Council 'looking at options'
The council adopted this draft plan during a meeting on Tuesday, revising it to include an acknowledgement of community concerns about the development impacting the water quality of the estuary.
The decision to adopt the plan was not unanimous, with two councillors voting against it and wanting to defer the decision.
Councillor Amber Schutz said in the meeting that it would do more harm than good for the protection of waterways to be deferred.
"There is scope to change it if new information requires that in terms of moving forward in a direction that goes to protecting our waterways," she said.
"I think in just stagnating and waiting for all of the answers, we're never going to move anywhere."
A spokesperson from Eurobodalla Shire Council says it is "leading the preparation of the development control plan and looking at options to avoid and minimise impacts to vegetation, especially threatened ecological communities and wetlands".
"Three of the four sewer spills were the result of heavy, prolonged rains and these overflows occurred across the shire," the spokesperson said.
"The fourth was because of tree roots and is not uncommon."
The adoption of the Coastal Estuary Management Plan gives the council to access NSW government funding to protect the estuary, the spokesperson says.
The council also stated the development control plan and masterplan would include an investigation into the sewer system.
It said if the study identified that upgrades were required to manage the proposed developments, these would be undertaken.
The council will seek further feedback from the community about the development in December.
