A NSW Government website

Termeil Lake

Our water quality monitoring program has shown Termeil Lake to have fair water quality. Find out more about the estuary and its unique features.

Termeil Lake is located on the south coast of New South Wales between Ulladulla and Batemans Bay. It is classed as a back-dune lagoon with an intermittently closed entrance.

Termeil Lake is a near pristine estuary, tucked away within Meroo National Park.

Water quality report card

As part of our water quality monitoring program we assess the water quality and ecosystem health of an estuary using a range of relevant indicators. We sample a subset of the estuaries between Wollongong and the Victorian border every 3 years. The most recent sampling in Termeil Lake was completed over the 2020–21 summer, when 2 sites were sampled on a monthly basis.

This report card represents 2 water quality indicators that we routinely measure: the amount of algae present and water clarity. Low levels of these 2 indicators equate with good water quality.

B

Algae

A

Water clarity

A

Overall grade

The report card shows the condition of the estuary was excellent with:

  • algae abundance graded good (B)
  • water clarity graded excellent (A)
  • overall estuary health graded excellent (A).

Grades for algae, water clarity and overall are represented as: 

  • A – excellent 
  • B – good 
  • C – fair 
  • D – poor 
  • E – very poor.

Go to estuary report cards to find out what each grade means, read our sampling, data analysis and reporting protocols, and find out how we calculate these grades.

Historical water quality grades

We have monitored water quality in Termeil Lake since 2008. This table shows the water quality grades for this estuary over that time.

YearAlgaeWater clarityOverall grade
2007–08DBC
2009–10BCB
2010–11ABA
2011–12BBB
2012–13ADC
2013–14BAB
2014–15BCC
2015–16ACB
2016–17CED
2017–18ABB
2019–20DAC
Physical data

Physical characteristics

Estuary typeBack-dune lagoon
Latitude (ºS)–35.46
Longitude (ºE)150.39
 
Catchment area (km2)14
 
Estuary area (km2)0.6
Estuary volume (ML)397.9
Average depth (m)0.7

Tidal exchange volume

Tidal exchange volume or tidal prism data is available for this estuary. This tidal prism was measured in 2001. 

Tide stateFlow 
(ML)
Local tidal 
range (m)
Sydney Harbour 
tidal range (m)
Ebb flow3900.541.22 
Flood flow3000.491.24 

Notes: km2 = square kilometres; m = metres; m3 = cubic metres; ML = megalitres.

Water depth and survey data

Bathymetric and coastal topography data for this estuary are available in our data portal.

Land use

The catchment of Termeil Lake is moderately disturbed, with about one-third of land use changed to grazing and rural residential development. Most of the catchment remains as forest within Meroo National Park and Forestry Corporation land.

Get involved

National and marine parks

  • Termeil Lake is situated within Meroo National Park.
  • This estuary does not flow into a marine park.

Citizen science projects

  • The South Coast Shorebird Recovery Program provides the opportunity for people to get involved in the protection and recovery of shore birds.
  • The Budawang Coast Nature Map is an online data platform the community can use to record and identify biodiversity. Data collected is used to map the distribution of native plant and animal species from Moruya up almost to Kiama.

Community involvement

Aerial view of Termeil Lake, featuring a large dark blue lake surrounded by dense green forest. A narrow river connects the lake to a beach with light brown sand at the bottom of the image. The beach meets the ocean, and waves are visible. In the distance, there are rolling hills with a hazy blue appearance under a clear sky.

Aerial view of Termeil Lake estuary.

Local government management

Local councils manage estuaries within their area unless the estuary is attached to a marine park. Shoalhaven City Council manages this estuary.

Threatened species

The catchment around Termeil Lake supports the Bangalay Sand Forest of the Sydney Basin and South East Corner bioregions, an endangered ecological community.

Read more about the biodiversity in our estuaries.