Wallis Lake suffered a serious Hepatitis A contamination event during late 1996/1997. This seriously threatened the AU$125 million per year tourism industry, the AU$10 million per year oyster farming industries as well as the second most productive estuarine fishery in New South Wales. This event illustrated the real value of a healthy lake and watershed to the regional community and economy, and provided the motivation to establish an outcome-driven, integrated watershed management and restoration program for the Wallis Lake system.