Community views sought on lake reserve

IT HAS been wonderful to see the community getting engaged with recent Council proposals on our Have Your Say page.

The feedback that the community provides certainly helps to shape the way planning is conducted and how important decisions are made.

There are multiple engagement processes underway right now, and these always give a great insight into the feelings of the community on a broad range of issues.

At our most recent Council meeting, we released the draft plan for the Blue Waters Lake Reserve.

Blue Waters Lake Reserve is a unique seven-hectare reserve in Ocean Grove that features a natural lake and supports a variety of native and introduced vegetation.

It is home to many native bird species, including eight listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

We are working closely with our local community to refresh our masterplan to ensure that planning for the future of this valued local reserve reflects community needs and expectations.

Blue Waters Lake Reserve is surrounded by more than 100 private properties and many of the property owners are very passionate about it.

The Blue Waters Lake Reserve Masterplan will guide management of the lake and the surrounding reserve area for the next 10 years, and so back in 2020 the City spoke to over one hundred residents and visitors to shape a vision for its future.

The feedback from that period was carefully considered and has since helped inform the development of the draft plan for the Blue Waters Lake Reserve.

Essentially, Council is seeking to protect the reserve’s ecological and cultural values and create additional opportunities for public use within the area.

We know that the reserve is highly treasured, but we want to enhance its environmental and recreational features to make it an even better space for tourists and wildlife.

In recent years, flooding events and wet weather have damaged the all-weather path in many locations, at times limiting access for maintenance and hindering people walking within the reserve.

The draft plan proposes improving the all-weather path and seating in order to increase access to nature, improve the water quality in the lake and expand the area revegetated with local indigenous species.

The declining health of aging willow, ash and other non-indigenous trees requires a staged removal and replacing these with indigenous species would maximise wildlife habitat.

At the moment the reserve is popular for passive recreation activities and is used for exercise, scenic walks and bird watching, with the grassed areas of the reserve providing space for gatherings beside the water.

But the water quality in the lake is also poor at times, and to address this issue an ephemeral wetland zone has been proposed to treat inflowing stormwater.

The lake has an important role in the Ocean Grove drainage network, filtering pollutants and nutrients from stormwater before it enters the Barwon River.

This is part of a Ramsar Wetland, listed under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The Blue Waters Lake Reserve really is a special place, and once the current stage of the engagement process closes, we will again collate and consider all of the responses we receive before finalising the Master Plan.

As always, I encourage the Ocean Grove and broader Bellarine community to provide their thoughts on the draft plan, which can be found on the Council website.

Please visit yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/bluewaters-lake-masterplan to get involved.

Consultations will close on July 29.

Cr Jim Mason

Bellarine Ward, City of Greater Geelong