The lake has a surface area of 36km2, with a catchment area of 238km2. This is one of the larger coastal lake estuaries in NSW.
Doug Prosser was awarded his Medal of the Order of Australia for “service to the conservation and continuing environmental management of Lake Illawarra”.
A foreword from Review of the Lake Illawarra Authority, published by the NSW Government in April 2013, reads:
The Lake Illawarra Authority was created under the Lake Illawarra Authority Act 1987. It has undertaken works to restore the environment of Lake Illawarra since enactment. It has been funded in the majority by the NSW Government and also by local councils Wollongong City and Shellharbour City, as the lake is part of their shires.
The Lake Illawarra Authority has achieved its primary objectives, with an overall increase in aquatic health and improvements to the foreshores of the lake. The permanent opening of the estuary to the sea has been a significant development that has allowed for tidal flushing of the shallow lake.1
Subsequent to this review, the LIA was closed.
REFERENCES & FURTHER READING:
1. Grant T, Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources. Review of the Lake Illawarra Authority. Crown Lands, NSW Trade & Investment, April 2013.
Return to Doug Prosser: A humble man doing extraordinary things.