Restoring Lake Pedder: a geomorphological perspective on recovery prospects and likely time scales

Abstract

This paper assesses the prospects for the return of the landforms of the Lake Pedder area to their pre-jlooding condition should the Huon and Serpentine Dams be drained Restoration of Lake Pedder lVould not be a practical option unless those landforms that evolved in response to geomorphological processes that are no longer experienced remain intact. However, there is every reason to anticipate that they have survived essentially unscathed. Those landforms that have resultedfrom geomorphic processes that persist to the present day are a less troublesome proposition because any moderate-scale damage to the beach and dune systems may be naturally self-healing. However, the evidence indicates that only velY minor damage occurred duringfilling of the dams when the water levels placed the dunes most at risk, and they have been insulated below the level of effective wave erosion since that time. Erosion around the perimeter of the Huon - Serpentine Impoundment has not had any significant detrimental impact upon the key landforms that contribute to the geoscientific values of Lake Pedder and its landform community. While the public perception may be that a massive area has been devastated, erosion is confined to the perimeter of the artificial reservoir where it is akin in extent and appearance to that produced by discontinuous stretches of vehicular track. From an aesthetic perspective the terrain visible from Pedder Beach contains relatively limited areas of severe scarring. Many of the classic photographic images of Lake Pedder, focussed as they are on the beach environment, will probably be achievable again almost immediately upon draining of the dams.