A telephone poll by The Courier of businesses around and former users of the lake this week showed unanimous support for the public fundraising effort.

The Fill the Lake Campaign was launched last week by Ballarat businessman and Natures Cargo owner Graham Wilkie to raise funds for a water right needed to buy the 3500 megalitres to fill the lake.

Since the lake was officially declared dry in 2006, sailing, canoeing, rowing and fishing groups have been forced to travel to other parts of the state for training and competition.

But one of the hardest hit by the dry lake has been the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society, which had heavily relied on water from Lake Wendouree to run its trout hatchery.

Before the lake dried up, the society had drawn water circulated through ponds at the lake. This water was then returned to the lake. The group had also restocked the lake with trout at no charge to the Ballarat City Council.

Since the drought, the group has been forced to find an alternative water supply in a bore and pump, at a cost to the non-profit organisation.

Society members had also netted Lake Wendouree for 80 per cent of its trout ova supply. The society now relies on members to gather eggs from farm dams and rivers, also at their own expense.

"With more than half our members retired, this is a costly exercise for them,'' society president Dennis Bentley said.

Ballarat rowing identity Eric Waller said Ballarat may have been considered to host the 2013 FISA World Masters Games if Lake Wendouree was full. "This would have meant between 2000 and 3000 overseas visitors to Ballarat for the 10-day event,'' Mr Waller said.

The last schools Head of the Lake regatta was held at Lake Wendouree in 2003. It was relocated to Nagambie for the following four years, before moving to the Barwon River at Geelong.

Since 2003, when Lake Wendouree became too shallow for yachts, the membership of Sailing for Everyone, an organisation dedicated to teaching disabled people how to sail, has dwindled from 13 to two.