A bright future for Peter Hopper Lake

These days Peter Hopper is only an occasional visitor to the lake that bears his name, but he still takes a keen interest in its fortunes.

The 89-year-old former long-serving shire engineer is delighted at the works under way to return Peter Hopper Lake to its former glory.

The lake, which began life as a farm dam before the area was subdivided in the 1970s, has been plagued by poor water quality in recent years.

In February this year, the City of Whittlesea started a multimillion-dollar revitalisation project designed to restore it to health.

The first stage, which concluded in June, involved dredging the lake to remove silt and other pollutants that had accumulated on the lakebed.

The second stage, which is now under way, will see the lake drained to allow for the installation of equipment that will filter and circulate the water.

A final stage, expected to commence towards the end of this year, provides for the construction of a raingarden and landscaping.

Mr Hopper said he was thrilled to see a comprehensive plan in place to improve the water quality and thanked the Friends of Peter Hopper Lake group for their advocacy.

“It’s great to see it happening,” he said.

City of Whittlesea Administrator Peita Duncan said Council’s expert staff, including engineers and environmental scientists, had worked with specialist consultants to devise a long-term solution to the water quality issues.

“Peter Hopper Lake is an important community asset and we want to see residents enjoying it to its full potential,” she said.

The Peter Hopper Lake revitalisation project is jointly funded by the City of Whittlesea and the Federal Government.

How did the lake get its name?

Peter Hopper started work at what was then the Shire of Whittlesea in the mid-1950s and served as shire engineer from 1969 until his retirement in 1988.

As his retirement approached, it was a conversation with long-serving councillor and the City of Whittlesea’s first mayor VR Michael that led to the lake being named in his honour.