Maylands Lakes

Following recent heavy rainfall, the City has noted a spike in midge activity around Lake Brearley through its ongoing monitoring regime and night inspections.

The City continues to actively work on reducing midge numbers through the application of larvicides to maximum permitted levels and through the mechanical disruption of midge breeding areas in the lake.

The City has arranged for the installation of a temporary mobile light tower to help attract midge away from residential properties, and is commissioning an additional 16 midge traps in partnership with the Bayswater Community Men’s Shed to assist in managing midge in the area.

Existing midge traps have been adjusted to turn on earlier in the evening to better intercept midge before they reach light sources on private properties.

To help minimise the impact of midge during these times of elevated breeding, residents can:

• Keep windows and doors closed at sunset and early in the morning
• Place blacklight traps outside their property
• Install fine mesh fly-screens
• Reduce the wattage of external lights
• Use yellow external lights
• Apply a registered residual barrier insecticide on external harbourage areas of your home. Impacted residents can obtain a barrier insecticide and supporting information free of charge by contacting the City’s Environmental Health team on 9272 0648.

Pictured: Mayor Filomena Piffaretti with Bayswater Community Men’s Shed members.

Community members are invited to the first Maylands Lakes Community Forum. These community forums will be held quarterly as part of the City’s commitment to addressing the water quality and midge issues at Maylands Lakes.

The details are as follows:

• Time: 10am (for a 10.30am start) until 12pm
• Date: Saturday 15 June 2024
• Location: Main Function Hall, Maylands Sport and Recreation Club, 50 Clarkson Road, Maylands
• RSVP: By 5pm, Monday 10 June 2024 to Coordinator Executive Services, Nicole Ceric, via nicole.ceric@bayswater.wa.gov.au or 9272 0622

This forum will be a facilitated discussion on Maylands Lakes.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve the environmental conditions at Maylands Lakes.

The City undertakes regular monitoring of Maylands Lakes, with information available in the Documents section.

The City has turned off the ornamental fountain at Brickworks Lake as a precautionary measure.

A bubble aerator is still running at the site.

The City will review the irrigation system associated with Brickworks Lake.

For further enquires, contact the City's Environment team.

At its April meeting, Council voted unanimously to support a range of new actions the City will take to address the environmental conditions at Maylands Lakes, including the development of the Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan.

City of Bayswater CEO Jeremy Edwards said the new approach takes onboard community feedback and aims to ensure the process is as open and transparent as possible.

“I appreciate there are a range of views on this topic and unfortunately there is no one solution to the issues residents living near Maylands Lakes are experiencing,” he said.

“I think what’s important is the City has committed to a pathway forward and is listening to and taking onboard feedback from the community.”

Following community feedback, the City will call for expressions of interest for the use of pumps and filtration as an immediate option to address the midge and water quality issues at Maylands Lakes.

Quarterly community forums will be held to provide residents with updates on the Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan and other activities at Maylands Lakes.

“I am confident these forums will build trust in the community, through open and transparent communication, and will help us work together on a solution to this complex issue,” Mr Edwards said.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Elli Petersen-Pik thanked the community for their involvement and feedback which was incorporated.

“Council endorsed the scope for the Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan. The scope was broadened to include the option to investigate mechanical pumping and filtration to significantly reduce nutrients at the lakes in an attempt to deal with the algal bloom and midge issues. Other options, including relevant case studies, will also be considered during the process,” he said.

Council has now authorised the CEO to call for public tenders for a consultant to prepare the Masterplan based on the endorsed scope.

“Council also voted to expand the Scientific Advisory Panel, in line with community feedback, to include a further expert with an engineering or environmental engineering background, with experience dealing with similar lakes environments,” Deputy Mayor Petersen-Pik said.

“The process undertaken by the Scientific Advisory Panel will be fully transparent with minutes from the panel’s meetings to be published on the City’s website and general discussions by the panel not considered confidential.”

It was also requested the CEO investigate if the City is eligible for funding under the Mining Rehabilitation Fund administered by the State Government.

Further information on the scope, Scientific Advisory Panel members and project updates can be found on the dedicated project page on Engage Bayswater: engage.bayswater.wa.gov.au/maylands-lakes

At the Ordinary Council Meeting of 12 December 2023, Council considered a report in relation to water quality and other issues at Maylands Lakes.

Part of Council’s resolution was to establish a Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) of experts and community members to review environmental conditions at the lakes and make suggestions regarding interventions that could provide a long-term solution.

Specialist consultant Urbaqua was engaged to form, administer and facilitate the SAP, whose role included providing independent, impartial, expert advice to inform the preparation of a scoping document by Urbaqua.

This scoping document will be presented to Council for endorsement at the April 30 Ordinary Council Meeting. If approved, the scoping document will be put to market and used to develop a Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration Masterplan to address environmental conditions at the site. To view the scoping document and Scientific Advisory Panel workshop notes, refer to the April Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda.

As part of its Midge Management Plan, the City is undertaking regular treatments of Lake Brearley and has been trialling equipment aimed at disrupting midge breeding sites.

The City is undertaking a comprehensive assessment of Lake Brearley, Lake Bungana and Brickworks Lake compared with the constructed wetland at Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary to better understand their ecology. This includes sampling and identifying fish and other aquatic fauna.

The City will continue to update those directly impacted by the issues at Maylands Lakes.

The Maylands Lakes Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) met for a second workshop on Wednesday 13 March to discuss key issues to be addressed, and make recommendations for options considered as part of the future scope of works (i.e. preparation of a masterplan).

The SAP considered the effectiveness of all initially suggested options, before narrowing these via a detailed analysis.

Overall considerations for the development of the future scope of works were discussed, with preparation of the scoping document to follow. This document will be presented at the April 30 Ordinary Council Meeting.

The newly convened Maylands Lakes Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) met for its first workshop on Thursday 22 February, where Associate Professor Mark Lund was unanimously elected SAP Chair.

The group began by reviewing the history, current state of knowledge and key issues affecting Maylands Lakes, before undertaking a site visit to Lake Brearley and Lake Bungana.

The remainder of the workshop focused on identifying potential drivers of the key issues, followed by a process to identify options to treat these issues.

A second workshop, scheduled for Wednesday 13 March, will look at narrowing these options via a more detailed analysis that will provide considerations for the development of future scope of works for Maylands Lakes.

The City has formed a Scientific Advisory Panel to develop and oversee a masterplan to address the environmental conditions at Maylands Lakes.

The Scientific Advisory Panel will provide independent, expert advice on the causes of water quality issues within Maylands Lakes. This advice will inform the scope for developing a Maylands Lakes Masterplan addressing environmental conditions at the site, which will be presented for endorsement at the April Ordinary Council Meeting.

Panel members will then oversee the development of the Maylands Lakes Masterplan.

To read more, visit the City’s News webpage.

You may have noticed a boat operating on Lake Brearley in recent weeks.

Please be aware the City is currently trialling some equipment to mechanically disturb the sediment within the Lake to help reduce midge breeding.

Similar equipment is currently being used overseas with favourable results.

The City will monitor the outcomes from these trials to determine the effectiveness and whether this control should be incorporated into the City’s Mosquito and Midge Management Plan.

The City of Bayswater is seeking nominations for one (1) community member to join the Maylands Lakes Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP).

The SAP will develop a comprehensive scope around the objectives within the Maylands Lakes Environmental Restoration report (OCM December 2023) and oversee the master planning process for Maylands Lakes.

The SAP will comprise:

• at least five experts in a range of relevant fields (including, but not limited to, Applied Ecology, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Environmental Biology and Hydrology), and
• two community members (of which one is from the Friends of Maylands Lakes).

While a relevant scientific background would be helpful, it is not necessarily required for this position. The City is looking for someone who can provide local knowledge, is a good communicator and can represent the community.

For more information and to nominate, click on the Nomination Form tab.

**The City wishes to thank the community for their interest. The nomination period for this position has now closed. Please continue to follow this page for SAP updates as they become available**