The state of the Lismore Lake and Lismore Lake Pool in South Lismore have been a topic of conversation for the last two decades.

The Lismore Lake was discussed at yesterday's Lismore City Council Meeting when Councillor (Cr) Big Rob put forward a motion that Council include a Lismore Lake Precinct Water Licence in the budget at zero cost, look to identify funding opportunities to acquire an 'appropriate amount of water to fill and maintain the lake', and advise State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin and Federal Member for page Kevin Hogan that funding is being sought to purchase water licence capacity for the lake precinct.

In his opening remarks, Cr Rob said he has been "getting a lot of flack" about the Lismore Lake.

"There's been a bit of work done there. It's been slow because I'm busy with a new business, and I'm under supervision until that ends, and I've got to follow the rules and the guidelines. But, there's been work done by Rous, there's been work done by Lismore Lake Incorporated with a National Tree Day event. There's been work done by a paid bush regenerator that we need to seek out this year's funding for to pay for this year's work."

"The biggest problem out there, and why it looks so ugly, is because there's no water in the lake."

Cr Rob pointed out that as you drive past the site, the lack of water is what makes it look ugly. The lawns are being mowed, the koala trees managed, and now there is a new toilet block that will be reopened to the public.

"This is one way to get that thing going, and to make sure it will keep going, is to get that water in that lake. Once that water's in that lake, not only does it look nice, it looks amazing. All the birds come back in, thousands of them, they're everywhere. Every time there's a major flood, and that lake fills up within two days after the mud clears a bit, it's just prolific with bird life; it's amazing.

Cr Rob's vision is to get the Lismore Lake like Centennial Park in Sydney. Getting a council resolution was the best way to apply for funding, hence the motion. Council staff had said the indicative costs were in the region of $150,000 for the water licence, which would need to be confirmed. Cr Rob added that a smaller annual maintenance fee would be needed, which would be included in the funding. He also mentioned that he was still chasing funding for the Lismore Lake Pool, after a $2 million grant was turned down in 2019 by the then Council.

There was some opposition to Cr Rob's proposal. It wasn't that other councillors were against it; they were seeking more information.

Cr Waters made the point that this is a wetland restoration area that lives and breathes with its natural environment. "Which is like when we have big wets, and it dries out sometimes, but it always has birds there, despite what we're talking about."

"This is a functioning wetland ecosystem with deep importance for Biodiversity and Climate Resilience. Wetlands are then recognised internationally, especially this one, because it's a critical habitat for the East Asian Australasian Flyway. This is a great migratory pathway of birds travelling from Siberia and Japan right down to Australia.

"They stop in on our wetlands to rest and recover."

Due to the site's importance for an abundance of bird wildlife, Cr Waters wanted to confirm the expert's advice and update the Plan of Management before a council resolution was passed.

"I think it's a shared goal of all of us for genuine ecological restoration of the lake as a sanctuary. I know that it has problems in terms of like how it looks at the moment, and that there needs to be more work done on that, and there is work being done on that, probably not as quick as most of us would like, but it is a beautiful place, and we actually already have so many birds in that area, so I think that we needed but to be guided by the correct ecologist for this before we make this type of decision."

The amount of water needed to fill the lake has been adjusted, with Cr Rob saying the early 5 megalitre advice received was wrong. It now appears to be greater than 100 megalitres, in fact, by Cr Rob's calculations, it would be 225 megalitres to fill the lake, but to start to build his vision, around 100 megalitres would suffice for an initial fill, before a much lower amount is needed for maintenance each year. After all, it is a man-made lake.

The exact amount of water needed initially, and for subsequent years, will be determined by an expert in the field and included in the updated Plan of Management document.

Cr Knight-Smith said that since 2013, there have been 163 different species of birds sighted at the Lismore Lake, and in 2025 alone, there have been 86 different species of birds sighted.

"I think that this is a way of supporting a community organisation, and maybe with Council's input, of creating a beautiful space for our community to enjoy and a natural habitat to thrive."

Cr Dalton-Earls was another councillor questioning the timing. "We're talking about applying for grants for potentially 100 million gigalitres of water to fill the lake, which, as councillor Waters has pointed out, goes up and down with the seasons. We live in the highest rainfall area in Australia. It doesn't seem like a priority for us to pursue at this time.

"However, I do think there is a priority to clean and work with the land there, and I know that there are groups involved, such as Landcare, that do that. But I also understand there are time frames that sometimes push out or things happen, that's what I would be more inclined to look at, rather than making a resolution that then forces Council's focus in this area, which at this time, I don't think that should be our priority."

Cr Gordon pointed out that the hole was originally dug up to bring the industrial estate across the Bruxner Highway up to the 1974 level.

"In principle, I do support this because I think it's a great first step in maintaining either what we have or to create a new environment, should that work be recognised as being beneficial."

Cr Jensen put forward a foreshadowed motion that councillors go to a workshop with the relevant Council environmental staff to get a clear picture of what the consequences would be from filling the lake.

"I'm not a great supporter of this in its current form, maybe a workshop, including the environment section, to discuss this management plan a little bit more," Cr Jensen said.

In his right of reply, Cr Rob reiterated that the water licence will be at no cost to the council, as it will be achieved through grant funding.

"It's not something that we need to be worried about. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but if it does, imagine what we could have out there, a beautiful lake, free recreation space for everyone. There's also cultural heritage plans in place for gathering, or healing or yarning circle on the eastern side, over near the boat ramp. There's also dog park discussions there with staff.

"There's amazing plans for there, but we just need to try and get it moving. The best way to do that? Fill the lake."

The motion passed 7/4, with Crs Gordon, Rob, Battista, Knight-Smith, Hall and Krieg for and Crs Guise, Dalton-Earls, Jensen and Waters against.

Cr Rob's vision for the Lismore Lake is a long way off being completed, but it just may have taken its next step. Is there a chance that it could once again be a hugely popular recreation area for the residents of Lismore?