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Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 10 May 2017
Everything’s gone green: Lake Carramar in the Quiet Lakes is infected with toxic blue-green algae. Picture: Gary Sissons
Lake life ‘toxic’ for residents DISCOLOURED bright green water at Lake Carramar in the Quiet Lakes at Patterson Lakes has prompted Kingston Council to write to the state government and Melbourne Water “expressing concern” over high levels of toxic blue-green algae. Melbourne Water and council have long argued over who should pay to run bores to increase water flow and help stop the algae forming at the lakes in the residential housing estate. Councillors at the latest public council meeting on 3 May stopped short of complaining to the Essential Services Commission and the Energy
and Water Ombudsman of Victoria at Cr Tamsin Bearsley’s suggestion. “It has got worse and worse and we need to step in now and advocate for our residents on Lake Carramar. It’s green. It’s like a soup, basically,” Cr Bearsley said. “It’s soupy, bright green and smelly.” Cr Bearsley slammed Melbourne Water’s refusal to retrieve sand at the lakes. Fellow South ward councillor Georgina Oxley said Melbourne Water, a state government owned authority, saw itself as only being responsible for drainage in the quiet lakes.
“They say there is no need for a sand beach,” Cr Oxley said. Cr Bearsley said Quiet Lakes residents had contacted her to say children cannot “go anywhere near” the sand or lakes. “There are dead fish and birds floating in the swampy water,” she said. Melbourne Water has previously said maintenance of the quiet lakes may be feasible on “a user pays” basis via a special charge to ratepayers living in the area. The water authority has erected signs warning people about e.coli in the water at Lake Carramar. Neil Walker