BREC staff with traditional owners inspected the lake on Friday 31st May.
See the Photos

The water level has dropped at least 1.5m in the last 8 months and a sandy beach is clearly visbible on the eastern shores. Melaleuca as are sprouting in the reed beds as the water drops away. The traditional owner elders present said that is was the lowest anyone could remember.

Having witnessed the low level BREC is of the opinion that unless the cause of water loss from the lake is determined it could almost dry up completely. Brown Lake is of State and International significance and it would be a national distaster if it dried up.

BREC is calling on urgent action from the Queensland Government and Redlands Shire Council to restrain any development activity or water extraction from the Brown Lake region until urgent research is undertaken.

Brown Lake is in a depression that drains a range of sandhills. The lake has been in equilibrium for a very long time and it is disturbing that the equilibrium appears to have altered. Given that surface drainage hasn't been altered and the lake has stayed up during other dry periods we suspect that there has been a recent alteration to underground water tables.