LAKE WENDOUREE

Lake Wendouree

Lake Wendouree has been a major social destination for residents for the past 150 years.

The Lake has a surface area of 220 hectars, circumference of 6 km and capacity of 3,860 megalitres.  Information on the History of the Lake.

Lake Wendouree is situated in the centre of Ballarat and offers a wide range of attractions and recreational activities including the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Steve Moneghetti walking and running track, cycling trails, bird watching, indigenous playground and excellent picnic and BBQ facilities. Click here for further information on the attractions and facilities at Lake Wendouree.

The City of Ballarat and partners have successfully implemented a storm water harvesting project which, inconjunction with the heavy January rains, has refilled the lake and ensured the lakes water supply into the future.

With the refilling of the Lake, aquatic recreational activities including rowing, canoeing and sailing have returned to the lake. Council offered to host the 2011 Head of the Lake and will work to secure the head of the Lake for 2012 and other rowing events.

The Lake has been stocked with 90,000 rainbow trout and fishing will return to the Lake when the fish are mature.

Rowing Course

More than 6500 square metres at the ‘finish’ of the Lake Wendouree rowing course have been excavated since a trial dredging program on the lake began in August 2011.

The additional contractor is working a sixty hour week during the trial, using a dredge with a cutting head specifically designed to work in a clay environment.

The dredging trial is progressing well and production rates so far are proving to be close to those expected by the contractor.

The new dredge is bigger than the dredge which originally began to excavate the rowing course. It is a different design and uses different technology and methods for dredging.

When the dredging contract was originally awarded in 2009 Lake Wendouree was virtually dry, leading to the appointment of a contractor who specialised in working in low water levels.

A large section of the reed beds had siltation fencing and barriers constructed while the lake was dry in preparation of the sediment removed from the balance of the rowing course being used to create massive submerged islands.

Once completed the Lake Wendouree rowing course will have been upgraded to a   2.2 metre deep, eight lane course suitable for hosting state and national rowing regattas. 

Sediment from the excavation works has also been used to construct four foreshore extensions, creating an additional two hectares of public open space, excellent rowing course viewing points and submerged islands in the middle of the Lake.

Water Supply

Council made it a priority to find a long term and sustainable water supply for the Lake.  After years of investigation Council has opted for a combination of rainfall, Class A Recycled water and storm water.  Now that the Lake is full the added stormwater and recycled water inputs means it is unlikely to dry again.

IN 2011, the City of Ballarat was awarded a Sustainability award for the refilling of Lake Wendouree by LGPro.

In recent years plans have been regularly modified in response to changing climatic conditions

Council took the opportunity provided by a dry lake bed to undertake significant works to improve infrastructure and visitor facilities at Lake Wendouree.

Overview of the measures Council has explored or put in place in the past decade.

In January 2006 Council together with the Victorian Government and Central Highlands Water (CHW) committed to deliver a water supply project for Lake Wendouree which would break the Lake's dependency on supplementary supply from CHW's reservoirs and the town drinking supply.

The $7 million project was commissioned in August 2009 and aims to provide the Lake with 850 megalitres per annum of Class A recycled water and stormwater:

• The diversion of stormwater from Paul's Wetland outfall (250ML)
• Supply of Class A recycled water from the North Ballarat Wastewater Treatment Plant (600ML)

The attached map shows the new infrastructure that Council has put in place to deliver stormwater to the Lake and assist with its refilling.

Lake Wendouree Inputs and Outflows as at Autumn 2010

The predicted water input based on current annual rainfall patterns into the Lake is 2710ML while evaporation accounts for 2010ML each year.  

View Chart 1 - Water Inputs and Outflows.

Without the January rains, it was estimated that the water supply infrastructure would have ensured that Lake Wendouree was full by Spring 2014.

Additional Stormwater Projects

Council is currently working on a number of other stormwater projects.

The project includes the following diversions:

• Redan Drain (Winter 2010)
• Ballarat Golf Club Detention Basin (Summer 2010/2011)
• Ring Road Detention Basin (Autumn 2011)
• Nerrina Wetlands (Autumn 2012)
• Warrenheip Creek (Autumn 2012)

Once the Lake is full, the new stormwater infrastructure will have the capacity to allow the irrigation of Sturt Street, Prince of Wales Park and other sporting grounds.  All of the above diversions will ensure the Lake remains viable even in the event of further climatic change.

Projected Water Levels for Lake Wendouree

The system currently being put in place is designed to ensure that Lake Wendouree stays within 30cm of full 90% of the time. 

View Chart 2 - Projected water levels for Lake Wendouree.

It is important to note that the Lake does not need to be full in order to enjoy the lifestyle benefits the Lake brings including recreational opportunities, tourism activity and environmental benefits.  It is anticipated that the additional stormwater inputs will mean that recreational activities can gradually return to the Lake as it begins to fill:

• Autumn 2012 - recreational sailing
• Winter 2012 - recreational boating
• Spring 2012 - fishing
• Spring 2013 - international level rowing, angling and yachting events