Ngā Roto Sailing Club is asking Waipā District Council to clean up Lake Ngā Roto by dredging it.
Messing about on Lake Ngā Roto.
Water quality at the largest of the district’s peat lakes is very poor, according to Land Air Water Aotearoa. The 91.75ha, 3.8m deep lake is frequently the subject of Health New Zealand health warnings when excessive nitrogen and phosphorus promote cyanobacteria growth. Cyanobacteria can trigger asthma and hay fever symptoms and cause rashes, upset stomach, tingling around the mouth, headaches, breathing difficulties and visual problems.
“What has to be done? Get rid of the fish, they are an invasive species,” said club spokesman and former commodore Gordon Wallis.
“Dredge the lake. Put up a stop bank on a farm and pump the bottom out.”
Wallis, who hopes such action would remove the nutrients causing the problem, was responding to the council’s call for the community to have its say on the future of the lake near Te Awamutu. The lake and surrounding land are significant to mana whenua as the site of New Zealand’s largest intertribal battle.
Council community services manager Brad Ward said he wanted residents and ratepayers to share their vision for the reserve whose walking and cycling track attracted 44,689 people last year.
“Get out there and do something about the situation. It’s the biggest, most used, natural lake in the district,” Wallis said.
“The whole community, now, says don’t go out to Nga Roto, it’s toxic. How toxic is it? Is there signage written in such a way that it overreaches what it actually is? It’s a train wreck that has happened caused by 100 years of agriculture. We put fertiliser on land and didn’t understand that it went in the streams. You can’t blame anybody for that. That’s what the whole world did. The lake has become a settling pond for those nutrients.
“The only thing that they do is to now put up signage. I’ve sailed out there for 35 years. I can recall algae blooms for at least half of that period, but nobody ever got sick and died.”
Ward said, in a statement: “Restoration of the lake is a long-term game. This plan won’t be a quick fix, but it will be a vehicle to bring key parties together. We need to be on the same page to improve the reserve and support the collective efforts to better the lake’s water quality.”
The plan will guide future management and aims to:
- understand views of mana whenua and other users, on the use of the reserve
- ensure it reflects the district’s growing and diverse population
- reflect the changes in the reserve’s values and new ways to protect and restore the reserve
- consider renaming the reserve to mana whenua preferred name
- align the plan with new or reviewed legislation, national policy statements, policies, strategies, and bylaws, and;
- update the plan to include land purchased in 2018 and approved projects.
A focus group has also formed to provide guidance and feedback. They will ensure the plan aligns with community, mana whenua and key stakeholder’s aspirations and views.
Wallis is seeking a sailing club seat on the focus group.
Lake Ngā Roto
