Asbestos found as lake sand relocated

Work began on removing sand accumulation from the Berageree Island channel in Lake Illawarra yesterday.However, it was the appearance of asbestos warning signs at Judbooley Pde at Windang that spooked residents the most.Some of the sand that is being extracted from the channel is being transferred to Edith Lacey Park, in Windang, to enhance the beach area.The Windang Boat Shed and other buildings were located at the park until they were demolished in 2006.A Wollongong City Council spokeswoman confirmed fragments of asbestos material were being removed from the lake foreshore near the park."Council believes that the asbestos fragments may be related to previous building structures that have been removed from this location over the past decade, including the Windang Boat Shed," the spokeswoman said."Council has appointed qualified contractors to remove the material and council will continue to monitor the site to ensure public safety."Meantime, Lake Illawarra Authority chairman Doug Prosser said the authority had been closely monitoring sand accumulations in the area around Berageree Island opposite the Reddall Reserve kiosk.Mr Prosser said the area was popular with young families during summer as it offered opportunities for safe swimming.However, the sand accumulations were now impacting on tidal flushing."The accumulation of sand in this area will reduce the appeal for young families so the authority decided to intervene before summer," Mr Prosser said.Yesterday a bulldozer was working to recreate a channel approximately 20m wide by 1m deep.The work will be completed either today or tomorrow, with public access to the shoreline restricted.Mr Prosser said that with temperatures on the rise, the authority expected the entrance channel and swimming lagoon area - where an enclosure net has recently been installed - to once again be extremely popular with the community during the warmer months.