Licence Permit Allows Mechanical Opening of Lake Conjola Entrance

Shoalhaven City Council at their Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday 26 October announced they have been granted a licence from Crown Lands to mechanically open the entrance to Lake Conjola in periods of emergency at lower trigger requirements than previously existed.

Shoalhaven City Council Director City Development Phil Costello said the licence will assist Council in mechanically opening the entrance when severe weather impacts on the Lake Conjola community.

“After consultation with the community, Council have applied for revised trigger levels for the Lake Conjola Crown Land Licence enabling Council staff to seek state government approvals to open the entrance, when it is required to be opened mechanically”, Mr Costello said.

“Council had previously prepared a Review of Environmental Factors environmental assessment and submitted a licence application to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment – Crown Lands.

“This new application has led to the issue of the subject Licence and has been issued for a five-year period.

“This is great news for Council and the community who have advocated for trigger levels to be lowered for many years”, Mr Costello said.

Lake Conjola is currently open to the sea and has been since February 2020. However, the entrance was impacted by significant sand build-up due to the recent East Coast Low weather event.

It should also be noted that Council has undertaken extensive community consultation in relation to the Lake Conjola Coastal Management Program which is currently in the process of being formulated. The issue of Lake entrance management is a consideration in the formulation of this program. The program is also collecting scientific information to inform the forecasting of requirements and to alter the licence in the future, if required.

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Image: Lake Conjola

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