The harvester and crew is on loan from Hawkesbury City Council and will trim the reeds in the swimming areas of the lake, which will cost $8000 and be done on an annual basis as needed. 

The reed trimmer is on caterpillar treads and can go straight from land to water without breaking stride, allowing it to dump baskets of reeds up along the shoreline. 

The reed maintenance adds to the 80 tonnes of sand which has been placed on either side of the swimming areas in the past month. 

Orange City Councillor Jason Hamling said the trimming would only occur around the swimming area of the lake and would leave most of the lake – which is habitat for fish and birds – untouched. 

“Obviously with the low levels we thought it would be a great idea to clean up the swimming area of the lake,” he said. 

“Just enhancing the look of the lake and the feel of the place… people will notice the difference.”

The low water of the lake was a “concern” to Cr Hamling, but he said there weren’t any plans in the pipeline to raise the water level. 

“It’s as low as I’ve seen it in a long time. However, it’s not our drinking supply and I want to see everyone’s drinking water and the farmer’s dams taken care of before we start worrying about [Lake Canobolas],” he said.