And the ongoing negative publicity about the health of the lake is doing more damage than good.

Marine biologist and oceanographer Doctor Samantha Kneeshaw from Milton studied Burrill and other coastal lakes as part of her PhD and said her evidence proves the waterway is one of the healthiest on the planet.

She believes the public outcry about the lake’s closure is threatening the reputation of the region.

“People who come to the district for a holiday may be under the impression that there’s something wrong with the lake when there isn’t - it’s not based on any scientific fact.

“If you keep telling people the lake is unhealthy and unsafe, people will start to believe it.

“Repeated comment over time becomes ‘fact’ and this could have a significant impact on the area’s attraction to tourists.”

She said Burrill Lake is very healthy, despite being closed and despite the smell that many residents are highlighting in their call for the lake to be opened by Shoalhaven City Council.

“I understand that people living on the foreshore don’t like the smell of rotting weed, but the smell doesn’t mean the lake is unhealthy.

“It doesn’t make much difference to the health of the waterway if the entrance is open or closed.”

Dr Kneeshaw said intermittently closed and opening waterways like Burrill Lake are complex and unpredictable systems.

She said there have been few scientific studies of these systems in Australia and the results of her study showed that both Durras Lake and Burrill Lake are among the healthiest systems in the world.

“A renowned American scientist whom I consulted during the study was impressed by the pristine condition of our lakes.

“Their health is attributed to the lack of human intervention around the catchments.”

Native bushland releases few nutrients, but as the catchment is developed for recreational, rural, urban and industrial purposes the nutrient and other contaminant levels increase, creating an unfavourable environment which can increase the likelihood of events such as problematic algae blooms Dr Kneeshaw explained.