A large section of Lake Dulverton at Oatlands could be deliberately left to dry out under a plan going before the Southern Midlands Council tomorrow.
The council will vote on a recommendation to stop adding supplementary Midlands Water Scheme water to a 51-hectare section of the lake beside the town.
The aim is to tackle a plant called Myriophyllum salsugineum or water milfoil, which is now dominating the front section and causing water quality problems.
Council staff say letting that part of the lake dry out is an effective way to manage the weed.
The section is the same one the Oatlands community worked to fill in the late 1990s, when volunteers built a bund wall and laid a pipeline to bring in surplus town water after years of the lake sitting dry.
The recommendation to now stop topping up the section comes from the Lake Dulverton and Callington Park Management Committee, which met on August 3.
With low rainfall forecast, the section is expected to dry down naturally, mimicking the way a wetland dries out from time to time depending on the climate.
Not all of the lake will be affected. The small area beside High Street will keep being topped up with Midlands Water Scheme water or bore water.
The far end of the lake, where natural catchment water flows in, is already dry apart from a few puddles.
The council says it has been that way for the past 12 months or more.
The lake sits right against Oatlands and is a popular spot for birdwatching, fishing, walking and picnics, with a conservation area around its shoreline.
If the council backs the recommendation, a community drop-in session will be held so residents can learn more about the decision.
That session is set for Monday, August 31 from 3:30pm to 7:30pm.
