It might sound idyllic to live beside a lake, but for Pegasus residents it is anything but.

The Pegasus Residents' Group wants answers on the fate of Pegasus Lake, due to ongoing issues with toxic algae.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) issued an abatement notice to the developer, Templeton Pegasus Ltd, last month about the state of the artificial lake in the Canterbury town.

It followed the latest public health warning for toxic algae, which was issued in December.

Residents’ group chairperson Matt James said frustration is growing among residents, who continue to face uncertainty.

‘‘We have a good relationship with Templeton Group, which has given us a good insight into the problem.

‘‘For a manufactured lake it is very deep and the water is very stale.

‘‘It is like a garden pond. It is fed by aquifers, but the flows aren’t fast enough to flush it out, which has causes the lake to layer.’’

The artificial lake was constructed by the original developer, Infinity Group, between 2008 and 2010, with Todd Property Group taking over the development in late 2012.

It is now owned by Templeton Pegasus Ltd, a subsidiary of Templeton Group.

Templeton Pegasus Ltd has been contacted for comment.

Mr James said Templeton Pegasus Ltd presented residents with a plan last year, but he believes no progress has been made since.

‘‘The community hasn’t heard back from Templeton for sometime and there’s a lot of frustration and at times anger.

‘‘My personal suspicion is it will end up with the council (Waimakariri District Council) having to deal with.’’

Fellow residents’ group committee members Colin Brownlee and Peter Johnston said the lake had been a drawcard in attracting residents to move to Pegasus.

Algal bloom was first reported in February 2015, with the lake closed to recreational use for the first time.

Two months later ECan found the lake weeds had been sprayed with Diquat herbicide.

An infringement notice was issued to Todd Property Group in 2020, with the sub-division subsequently sold to Templeton Group.

An ECan spokesperson said Templeton Pegasus Ltd holds four resource consents and is in breach of conditions in two of those consents.

‘‘The lake is prone to blooms of potentially toxic algae (‘blue-green algae') over the summer period.’’
Templeton Pegasus Ltd has since issued a registration of interest via its consultancy firm WSP last month to investigate options to remediate the lake.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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