Lake Illawarra

We manage Lake Illawarra in partnership with Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Government.

Wollongong City Council looks after several open spaces, pathways and stormwater outlets around the lake. Shellharbour City Council looks after similar items on the southern side of the lake.

Other structures like jetties, wharves, and the bridge are managed by the NSW Government.

Report a problem at Lake Illawarra

If you need to report a problem at Lake Illawarra, contact the relevant agency.

If you’re not sure who to contact, call us on (02) 4227 7111. We’ll help if we can, or point you in the right direction.

Estuaries are unique and important natural environments. They contain a wide range of habitats and ecosystems that support many different types of plants, animals, birds and fish.

The health of Lake Illawarra can be threatened by coastal development, human activity and natural weather events such as storms and floods. However, we can help to protect and manage the estuary through the Lake Illawarra Ecosystem Health and Water Quality Monitoring Program.

This program focuses on the estuary health and recreational health of Lake Illawarra.

• Estuary health refers to the ecological integrity of an estuary.
• Recreational health of an estuary relates to the safety of the water body for swimming or boating.

Council collects and analyses data on this complex ecosystem. The information we collect helps us to understand the health and condition of Lake Illawarra so we can manage it effectively.

Reports

• Technical reports analysing water quality and estuary health indicators are produced regularly, based on the NSW Government's Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (MER) protocols.
• A report card provides a 'snapshot' of the ecological health of Lake Illawarra.
• Recreational water quality is measured by the presence of enterococci, and tells us if the water meets primary and secondary recreational water quality guidelines.

You can read recent reports and report cards for Lake Illawarra below.

Catchment water quality monitoring

Wollongong City and Shellharbour City Councils have been conducting water quality monitoring across 21 sites within the Lake Illawarra catchment from December 2021.

The main aim of this monitoring program was to provide councils with a reliable baseline of waterway water quality conditions. This will help us use data to make decisions about managing the lake.

You can read the final report and a short summary of the program below.

Lake Illawarra Catchment Water Quality Monitoring Final Report December 2021 - April 2024 PDF, 14381.09 KB

Summary of the Lake Illawarra Catchment Water Quality Monitoring Program PDF, 1310.34 KB

We have developed a Coastal Management Program (CMP) PDF, 11709.17 KB for the lake in partnership with Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Government. The CMP is a strategic program that will guide us in taking care of the lake over the next 5 to 10 years.

The CMP is supported by a number of studies and reports including:

• a Synthesis Report PDF, 25351.98 KB that pulls together detailed research and background information about the lake, and
• a Community Uses, Values, Threats and Opportunities Report PDF, 14539.34 KB which was created by listening to our community and lake users to understand how Lake Illawarra is used, what you value about it, and what may threaten these values and uses.

The Lake Illawarra CMP Implementation Group has also been formed to oversee and, where needed, provide advice on the implementation of actions within the CMP.

If you’d like to know more about opportunities for the community to be involved in planning for the lake, email or call us on (02) 4227 7111.

Lake Illawarra Bathymetric Survey

Throughout 2023 we conducted a bathymetric survey of Lake Illawarra to measure the depth of the water. Bathymetry involves trawling the entire lake with an echo sounder which sends a beam down and collects data as it bounces back. The below report outlines the findings. It will be used to inform future management options around the lake.

• Lake Illawarra Bathymetric Survey Report 2023
• Summary document: Tracking depth changes in Lake Illawarra

Wollongong City Council has prepared this document with financial assistance from the NSW Government through its Coastal Management Program. This document does not necessarily represent the opinions of the NSW Government or Department of Planning and Environment.

Community Engagement and Participation Strategy 2023

The Lake Illawarra Community Engagement and Participation Strategy was developed to plan and implement Key Actions of the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program (CMP).

The strategy recognises the vital importance of public engagement and participation in protecting and enhancing Lake Illawarra’s natural environment. It contains 13 actions designed to increase community knowledge, develop practical skills, and foster a deep commitment to the lake’s sustainable use and preservation. They are:

1. Lake Illawarra Signage Development and Management Plan
2. Lake Illawarra Online Hub
3. Hotspot Information Kiosks
4. Resourcing Compliance Officer with Educational Materials
5. Annual Community Workshops
6. Lake Illawarra: Walk and Talks
7. Upskilling Existing Community Networks with Citizen Science
8. Community Led First Nations Engagement
9. Check in with CMP Implementation Group Members
10. Developing New Community Partnerships
11. University of Wollongong Interprofessional Education Activity Day
12. Lake Illawarra Outdoor Cinema
13. Lake Illawarra Tourism and Recreation Expo

The strategy was prepared with with financial assistance from the NSW Government through its Coastal Management Program

Luv the Lake Litter Prevention Program

Luv the Lake is a program delivered in partnership with Shellharbour City Council and funded through the EPA Council Litter Prevention grants program. These Council Litter grants assist local governments to deliver litter prevention projects like Luv the Lake that answer their community’s need, and protect and enhance the natural environment. These projects play an important role in achieving long-term goals for litter reduction in NSW. This project also addresses action WQ8 in the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program.

The aim of the project is to increase community pride, respect and ownership of Lake Illawarra and its surroundings; improve litter reduction and prevention around the lake foreshore; and deliver a multi-pronged approach that aligns with the EPA Litter Prevention Strategy.

For more information visit the Luv the Lake page on Shellharbour City Council's website.

Check this page regularly for updates and to see how you can get involved. If you'd like to help right now, check out Council's Rise & Shine Program and consider starting your own clean up group.

Report a tosser

Over 25,000 tonnes of litter is tossed each year in NSW - and sadly this is also a problem around Lake Illawarra.

If you see someone littering around our Lake, (or anywhere else, including littering from a vehicle) you can report it to the EPA.

You can also visit our Litter page to learn more about other local litter prevention programs.

NSW Government Community Consultation on Lake Illawarra Jetties

The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) has reviewed feedback from the community on priority upgrade work to Lake Illawarra’s public jetties.

They have announced that five jetties will undergo repair work to ensure they can be safely enjoyed by the local community. Major repairs are being made at Tuggerah Bay Jetty, Purry Burry Point Jetty, Koonawarra Bay Jetty, King Street Jetty and Old Merinda Wharf.

For more information please visit the DPIE's website.

Estuary Health and Water Quality Monitoring

As a part of action WQ7 in the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program, Wollongong City Council and Shellharbour City Council, in partnership with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, have been undertaking estuary health, recreational health and catchment water quality monitoring. Council collects and analyses a variety of data on the lake.

The information we collect helps us to understand the health and condition of Lake Illawarra so we can manage it effectively.

Find the latest reporting in the 'Estuary health and water quality monitoring' section above.

Bank Management Strategy for Lake Illawarra

See summary document: Foreshore and Bank Management Lake Illawarra

As a part of action FB1 in the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program, Wollongong City Council and Shellharbour City Council, in partnership with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, engaged a consultant to develop a Bank Management Strategy (BMS) for Lake Illawarra and its major tributaries and smaller creeks.

The aim of the BMS is to assess the current bank condition of the foreshore and identify and map effective, efficient, and consistent best management practice to treat foreshore erosion at an estuary scale. This will allow land managers to better manage cumulative impacts of erosion with evidence based defendable decision making.

See the Lake Illawarra Bank Management Strategy  PDF, 17772.87 KB

Natural Area Restoration in the Lake Illawarra Catchment

As a part of action EV1 and EV2 in the Lake Illawarra Coastal Management Program, Wollongong City Council and Shellharbour City Council, in partnership with the NSW Government, have been undertaking vegetation restoration in the Lake Illawarra Catchment. In the past few years over 80 hectares of estuarine and riparian vegetation has been managed and protected from invasion by weed species.

In the Wollongong Local Government Area, we have ongoing works across the suburbs of Windang, Lake Heights and Berkeley covering seven lake side Reserves. We have been working hard to expand the program, and it now covers a further seven reserves within the suburbs of Primbee, Koonawarra and Kanahooka.

Of course, we must say a big thank you to all the dedicated Bushcare volunteers working to keep our natural areas beautiful! Find out more about volunteering by visiting our Bushcare page.