And the need for sand to replenish Mollymook Beach might well push to project across the line to attract government funds, a meeting in Lake Conjola was told on Monday night.

Consultant Peter Spurway, who prepared a report on dredging priorities throughout the Shoalhaven for Shoalhaven City Council, told the meeting there were two possible options for Lake Conjola.

The first involved removing about 30,000 cubic metres of sand from the shallow northern side of the lake, which put it right at the limit of what could be accomplished with a simple environmental impact statement, and what would require more extensive environmental studies that would “take years to complete”.

But that would cost “over $1 million,” Mr Spurway said.

Instead the preferred option dredged along the existing channel, removing about 12,000 cubic metres of sand, costing around $575,000 of which council had applied to the state government for $272,000.

The configuration dredging, he said, copied what would happen in a natural flood, creating a wider and deeper channel that functioned better when council had to manually open the lake to prevent properties being flooded.

Mr Spurway stressed the dredging would not provide a permanent opening, and there was no way of telling how long any dredging would impact on the lake given the huge volume of sand moving up the coast at any time, particularly during heavy storms.

Much of that sand was coming from Mollymook Beach, the meeting was told, which needed about 750,000 cubic metres to replenish it and protect it from future storm damage.

The Office of Environment and Heritage “has issues” with sand being removed and sold from systems, Mr Spurway said, but taking sand from Lake Conjola to replenish Mollymook Beach could gain support as that was part of the same system.

However he said the sand that mounted up in Lake Conjola was “a precious resource”, as “It’s the best concreting sand.”

As such it could attract companies wanting to mine and use or sell the sand, Mr Spurway said.

“Conjola’s ideal for a partnership to share in all the costs,” Mr Spurway said.

Cr Patricia White emphasised the partnership as she reiterated her aim of having the dredging undertaken on a cost-neutral basis, with private enterprise paying royalties for accessing and removing the sand, and those royalties going back to the council.

However the lake was not going to become a sand mining pit, she cautioned.

In fact the dredging was starting at just a small level, allowing council to prove how the dredging was not going to impact on the lake’s ecology.

While council had applied for state government funding, Cr White said council would push ahead with developing a partnership with private enterprise should be funding not be forthcoming.

However dredging would not be able to start until winter next year and take about three months to complete.

The full Spurway report is expected to be available on council’s website by the end of the week, and residents will be able to make comments.