Focus on Lake Taupo leaves research gap

MEDIA RELEASE

Focus on Lake Taupo leaves research gap

For immediate release: Wednesday 28 April 2004 A focus on Lake Taupo has left a gap in centrally-funded research aimed at improving the quality of New Zealand’s lakes, warns Environment Bay of Plenty.

Paul Dell, coordinator of the Rotorua Lakes Protection and Restoration Act Programme, says while Government has targeted Lake Taupo for extensive research funding, a large part of that research cannot be applied to the vast majority of lakes with poor quality in New Zealand.

“While the catchment process work is relevant, any lake work would be of little benefit outside of Taupo,” he says.

Lake Taupo is a very deep lake without nutrients in its sediments, Mr Dell explains. Many of New Zealand’s other lakes with water quality problems, including the Rotorua lakes, are quite shallow and have large quantities of sediment nutrients. These cause problems when they release over time into the water.

Mr Dell told Environment Bay of Plenty’s regulation and monitoring committee on Tuesday that research was urgently needed for this type of lake. “At the moment there is a definite lack of knowledge. Environment Bay of Plenty is trying to fill the gap but it’s not fair to expect one regional council to do it all.” Environment Bay of Plenty funds a Chair in Lake Management and Restoration at Waikato University and is spending several hundred thousand dollars on lake research next financial year.

He noted there was also a major gap at national level in research on blue-green algae and toxicity.

Mr Dell also updated the committee on the Rotorua Lakes Technical Advisory Group’s (TAG) response to a Ministry for the Environment-commissioned review of short-term management options for Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti. The TAG involves organisations like Environment Bay of Plenty, Rotorua District Council, Waikato University and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

Released late last year, the review by Dr Bruce Hamilton made 37 recommendations. In its report, the TAG noted that overall Dr Hamilton had supported the work already being undertaken by Environment Bay of Plenty and the Rotorua District Council. However the TAG felt some recommendations did not fit in the Rotorua lakes’ case, including the use of herbicides and oil pollution booms.

The report will now be sent the to Ministry for the Environment.

ENDS

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