A REPORT on pesticide contamination of Hearnes Lake has been released with disappointing results.

Tony Judge, the Labor candidate for Coffs Harbour, and the report’s author, environmental scientist Maxine Rowley, are calling for urgent action to save Hearnes Lake from pesticide and nutrient pollution.

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Ms Rowley and her colleagues found evidence of pesticides that can cause cancer and birth defects in waters feeding into the coastal lake, situated just south of Woolgoolga.

The report indicates the lake is at risk of becoming permanently toxic for marine creatures and dangerous for humans unless urgent action is taken.

Mr Judge said that every fisher, surfer, ocean swimmer and environmentalist should be alarmed at Ms Rowley’s findings.

With the lake a recreational area for local people and a highly sensitive section of the Solitary Islands Marine Park, the presence of dangerous pesticides poses a risk for all users of the lake and, ultimately, for the critically important Marine Park.

Ms Rowley explained the origin of the report and the method she and others used to reach the critical findings.

“Our local community were so concerned about the poor state and ongoing pollution of Hearnes Lake and the lack of action by local and State Government authorities that we applied for funding under the City of Coffs Harbour’s Environmental Levy program to carry out this crucial work,” Ms Rowley said.

“The methodology was based on the sampling process used by the NSW Environment Protection Authority and undertaken by trained community volunteers.”

Ms Rowley said the report builds on earlier findings about nutrient and pesticide pollution in Hearnes Lake and reinforces the need for urgent action to protect the environmental assets and community utility of the unique and
vulnerable ecosystem for future generations.

She says all lake users should be concerned.

“Every sampling event detected at least six highly toxic pesticides, indicating the probability of chronic, ongoing contamination that remains largely unmonitored and unaddressed,” she said.

Mr Judge says that it’s time for action.

“I have referred the report to the Shadow Minister for the Environment and the Shadow Minister for Agriculture.

“One of the things we almost take for granted here on the Coffs Coast is water quality, but it is coming under increasing threat,” he said.

“We need real action to protect our future, not just acknowledgement.”

Mr Judge said he will be pressing for real action and measurable improvements in water quality before it’s too late if Labor are elected in the upcoming State election.

Both Ms Rowley and Mr Judge agree that the time for effective action is now.

“If we fail to act it will not just be us that pays the price,” said Mr Judge.

By Andrew VIVIAN