An investigation into the health of ACT waterways has called for the National Capital Authority to hand management of Lake Burley Griffin over to the ACT government and for more stringent action against non-compliance when it comes to protecting the health of waterways.
The report by the ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the Environment, Sophie Lewis, has highlighted concerns over water quality in Lake Burley Griffin and Lake Tuggeranong, exacerbated by urban development and a lack of monitoring.
The State of the Lakes and Waterways report released this week found Lake Tuggeranong suffered from poor water quality and regularly suffered from algae blooms and high levels of fecal contamination, which often closed it to public use during the peak recreation period.
While Lake Burley Griffin was found to be in better overall health, the quality of water flowing into Lake Burley Griffin via the Molonglo River was found to be degraded prior to entering the ACT, partially due to discharges from the Queanbeyan Sewage Treatment plant upstream.
The recommendations handed down by the Commissioner included that the ACT Environment Protection Authority ensured sewage treatment processes at the Queanbeyan plant met industry best practice standards, to mitigate the risk of further contamination.
The investigation also examined the number of infringements the EPA had handed down for impacts on the waterways between 2018-19 and 2020-21, with just 10 infringements issued in that period.
Total fines for impacts on waterways amounted to $7725, with only $2625 in fines for non-compliance with erosion and sediment control.
The report used the perceived failure at Deep Creek during the construction of Whitlam as a warning for future greenfield development, including Canberra's proposed growth along the Western Edge.
Dr Lewis said suburbs that extended the footprint of Canberra were shown to create large problems with the flow of sediment into waterways, with the Western Edge proposal expected to have significant downstream impacts on the Murrumbidgee River.
She said data collected from Deep Creek catchment demonstrated control measures to keep waterways healthy during the development of Whitlam weren't up to scratch.
"We saw fencing that was supposed to contain the sediment had failed and these sediment ponds were not working as they should have and weren't maintained," Dr Lewis said.
"If we're going to continue to push Canberra's size beyond the existing footprint, we really have to be doing better when we're establishing these new suburbs."
Dr Lewis said she welcomed the creation of an Office of Water, one of 12 recommendations her office made as a result of the report, as a way of consolidating management on ACT waterways.
She said it was a source of frustration that many of the issues raised in this report, including inadequate monitoring and data collection by authorities, had been raised by the commission in 2012 and were yet to be addressed.
Dr Lewis said Canberra asked a lot from ACT waterways in its expectation they minimized flood risk, provided ecological value, improved water quality downstream and provided a nice environment for the community to congregate.
"In order to have them provide for and meet all those expectations, we really have to be investing a lot in terms of management," she said.
"I think I'm very optimistic about the ability of Canberra to have beautiful lakes and rivers and creeks and ponds into the future.
"But we really need to be planning now for some of those emerging challenges around urban development and climate change."
A National Capital Authority spokesperson said the institution welcomed the report, which provided a good reminder about the significance of ACT waterways.
In response to whether handing over control of Lake Burley Griffin was being considered, the spokesperson said the authority was committed to the long-term health of the lake.
"The NCA undertakes regular monitoring of the water quality and works with relevant stakeholders, including local environmental agencies, to ensure the health of the lake," the spokesperson said.
"The NCA is committed to continued collaboration with the relevant agencies to address the challenges facing our waterways."
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