The systemic failure of our state representative and the council to constructively open Lake Cathie to the ocean at this crucial time has been made all the worse by the failure of the relevant parties to answer key questions.
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So here they are (along with some other topical questions that deserve answers):
State MP Leslie Williams, what are you actively doing to cut through the bureaucracy and get the lake open?
Press release-powered statements about urging council to apply for funding are something you should be completely embarrassed by. It's insulting to all concerned. What are you doing? Who have you spoken to?
Are you having regular sit-down progress meetings with council representatives on this? As our elected representative we need you to lead and to cut through the bureaucracy (at a state level), regardless of the council bungling its own paperwork.
We need you to clear the path. Beyond press releases and having meetings, can you explain what commitments for change you have been able to extract on the lake opening, from whom (has the Premier been approached), and when can you deliver results on this?
Council director Melissa Watkins, the failure to open the lake has been put back onto council (by state bureaucrats) for having grossly outdated paperwork - 25-years outdated, which simply beggars belief.
But that aside, when will council have its new Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and Coastal Management Program completed. This week, next? When? People deserve to know. And with that answered, most importantly, what is the planned timeline for reopening the lake? Do you have a timeline?
Further to the questions above, a couple of queries which Mayor Pinson and Council Director Watkins might be able to also answer.
Has any thought been given to a permanent submerged pipe connection (with safety controls and the ability to open and close) between the ocean and Lake Cathie? Do it once and have it in place.
While discussing water, and particularly water restrictions, what would it cost to upgrade our pumping facilities (with better filtration systems) to be able to pump into our reservoir when the river is full from rain events, rather than the water being deemed too dirty and lost to the ocean? Surely this is the best option - to capture the water when it's there.
Brian Johnson
Lake Cathie
