Constructed coastal lakes and locks
Find out more about the lock systems and your responsibilities while living on an artificial lake managed by council.
A constructed coastal lake is semi tidal. This means there is a man-made structure – like a weir – that controls the amount of water in the lake to keep it above a certain level.
To ensure semi-tidal lakes have good water quality, every 30 days or so there is new water in each semi-tidal lake.
All council managed lakes have flood monitoring gauges which are remotely monitored.
The way water comes into the lake is different for each lake but can include open pipes, pumps, weirs or mechanical gates.
Constructed coastal lakes are built by residential developers and transferred to council to own and manage after all the land in the development has been built on.
Sunshine Coast semi-tidal constructed lakes
| Sunshine Coast semi-tidal constructed lakes | Management responsibility* | Management plans |
| Twin Waters | Council managed | Twin Waters lake management plan 2019-2029 (PDF, 4.57MB) |
| Sunshine Cove | Chardan Development Group | Will be available once the lake is handed over |
| Brightwater Lake | Council managed | Brightwater lake management plan 2021-2031 (PDF, 7.92MB) |
| Parrearra Lake | Council managed | Parrearra lake management plan 2019-2029 (PDF, 21.25MB) |
| Lake Kawana | Stockland | Will be available once the lake is handed over |
| Bokarina Lake | Stockland | Will be available once the lake is handed over |
Lake Magellan | Council managed | Lake Magellan and Mountain Creek tidal lakes management plan (no quay line) 2021-2031 (PDF, 3.76MB) |
| Mountain Creek Lakes | Council managed | Lake Magellan and Mountain Creek tidal lakes management plan (no quay line) 2021-2031 (PDF, 3.76MB) |
| Pelican Waters North | Council managed | Pelican Waters north lake management plan 2019-2029 (PDF, 9.42MB) |
| Pelican Waters South | Henzell Property Group | Will be available once the lake is handed over |
Property owner maintenance responsibilities
The residents' handbook: artificial waterways (PDF, 1.01MB) answers some common questions about:
- your responsibilities
- how artificial waterways function
- how you can help keep waterways clean, healthy and well-maintained.
Revetment wall
You, the property owner, own the revetment wall in front of your property and are responsible for maintaining it.
However, if the adjoining property has public access (i.e. walkable waterfronts, parks) then the revetment wall is owned and maintained by council or the developer (if the lake hasn’t been handed to council yet).
Private structures - pontoons, jetties, boat ramps and decks
You are also responsible for maintaining other private structures connected to your property including boat ramps, pontoons, jetties, and decks.
Read the residents' handbook: private structures in canals (PDF, 13.39MB) for tips on how to keep your private structures in good condition.
This handbook is general in nature and not intended to provide legal, engineering, building or other professional advice.
Locks
Pelican Waters North and Parrearra Lakes have a navigational lock for vessel access. These are both owned and maintained by council.
Pelican Waters South also has a lock for vessel access, this is still managed by the developer but will be handed over to council when the development process is complete.
Parrearra lake lock
The Parrearra lock allows boats to travel between the Parrearra lake and the Mooloolah River. 2 weirs control the water levels, with a lock in place off Grand Parade so boat users can access the Mooloolah River at all times (except during maintenance).
An access card or frequency operated button (FOB) is required to access the lock. To purchase a FOB please visit one of council’s customer contact centres with your photo ID.
Details on how to use the lock system can be found in the Parrearra lock user guide (PDF, 124KB) and remote key (FOB) access guide (PDF, 901KB).
Pelican Waters lock
The Pelican Waters lock allows boats to travel between Pelican Waters Northern Lake and Lamerough Canal, while controlling a stable water level within Pelican Waters Northern Lake.
Details on how to use the lock system can be found in the Pelican Waters lock user guide (PDF, 172KB) and remote key (FOB) access guide (PDF, 858KB).
This lock is no longer used for flood control.
In 2016, a review by expert consultants found:
- opening lock gates during rain events did not reduce the peak water levels in the golf course lakes
- the lock structure would be significantly damaged if it was continued to be used for flood control because it was not designed for this purpose.
In light of these findings, and following extensive community consultation, the decision was made to stop using the lock for flood control.
The following documents provide the results of the consultants’ findings:
- lock operation fact sheet (DOC, 8.63MB)
- northern lake information sheet (PDF, 96KB)
- flood levels (PDF, 442KB)
- figure 1-1 locality plan (PDF, 2.7MB)
- figure 2-1 lake bank profile (PDF, 212KB).