The approval was fast-tracked following a council decision on May 6 that provided the community assurances the lake and its future was a priority. Council resolved, after the trigger point for an artificial opening had been reached and more than a year of sustained community pressure, to open the lake if 10mm of rain fell in one weather event; or Crown Lands gave them the nod.

In less than a week, Crown Lands on May 11 delivered the news the community has been waiting for and granted council a short term licence for flood mitigation.

The push for a short term licence led by mayor Peta Pinson in November 2019 was thwarted when Crown lands came back to council and indicated its lake data was more than two decades old and required updating.

This month, the mayor made another push for council to show leadership on the matter saying the "angst has grown into outrage" in the community.

A Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for the short term licence was submitted by council last week. In that document it states the primary purpose of opening the lake during flood events is to prevent the inundation of private and public infrastructure. Of greatest concern is "the flooding of council sewerage infrastructure, and the consequent potential pollution impacts within the watercourse".

The short term licence for 12 months granted by Crown Lands is conditional on further consultation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Fisheries before works can be undertaken.

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Council is expecting to be in a possible position to open the lake as early as this week, once it has met with the necessary agencies, a statement on council's website said.

Under the short term licence, council will be permitted to enter the land for the purpose of emergency opening works, in the event of flooding only, during the next 12 months.

The lake height as of May 11 was 1.568m.

The works will need to conform to the requirements as set out by NPWS and Fisheries.

Should the lake open naturally, or by community action, which results in flooding being alleviated, council cannot undertake any further works until flooding conditions, or the trigger point of 1.6m or above is reached.

"With the right conditions an opening may result in a perfect flush and fill of the lake however the community should be made aware that there may be negative impacts on the lake due to natural processes outside of council's control," the statement said.

These negative impacts may include:

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