WATER will not be released from Lake Burrumbeet by Ballarat City Council, pleasing local groups who, only two weeks ago, felt ignored by the council.And in more good news for the lake, it has been re-opened after the blue-green algae outbreak has been nullified. The council started draining the lake two weeks ago so that 20,000 tyres could be removed from the bed of the lake.A wave of protest from residents and councillors who opposed the move caused the project to be abandoned only hours after it began.But after two weeks of dry weather, water has naturally evaporated from the lake and council is now able to continue with the works.The lake is now at a normal level without being overfull.The City of Ballarat’s acting director of growth and development, Ian Rossiter, said work on removing the tyres could be carried out.“We don’t need to pull the wall out to remove the tyres. At this point in time, we’re leaving the wall in place,” Mr Rossiter said.“With warmer days and increased waves at the lake, the water level has dropped 50 millimetres in the last two weeks.”The council met with stakeholders earlier in the week, including the Department of Sustainability and Environment, the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and the Lake Burrumbeet Advisory Committee.Lake Burrumbeet Advisory Committee chairman Mike Caldwell said the decision was a victory for lake users.“The less interference there is with the lake, the better,” he said.Mr Caldwell also praised North Ward councillor John Philips, who pushed for the lake not to be drained.Garry Grumley, committee member of the Burrumbeet Ski and Boat Club, said the decision not to drain the lake, combined with the recent re-opening, meant it was bright times ahead.“It’s a great result for us. Now we are able to use the lake again, and if we get approached by Ski Racing Victoria, they have no reason not to say yes to us,” he said.The lake was closed for more than a month when a blue-green algae outbreak posed a risk to users in February.