Claims that lake is 'endangered'

The Northland Environmental Protection Society claimed earlier this week that Lake Ngatu, one of the highly prized dune lakes west of Awanui, was "severely endangered" by the pumping of water from nearby farm land where kauri logs had been extracted, while the Northland Regional Council had effectively sat by and watched.

Northland Regional Council area manager Peter Wiessing rejected that yesterday, saying everything was being done properly and that the lake was in no danger whatsoever.

A spokesman for the NEPS, who did not wish to be named for fear of retribution, said the kauri logs should never have been extracted in the first place, and now that they had the wetland that was receiving water from the excavation site was being destroyed.

Inevitably water would find its way into the lake, which would also be "wrecked."

"The lake is severely endangered by filthy, dirty water they are trying to divert, without consent," she said.

"The regional council simply isn't doing its job. They are moving water without sedimentary controls, and (Mr Wiessing) okayed it. It's criminal what they're doing up there."

Mr Wiessing said the wetland referred to was not indigenous - if it was it would have total protection, without question - and that the work being done was a permitted activity. Sediment controls were in place and existing drains had been blocked, and he had no concerns whatsoever for the health of Lake Ngatu or the environment in general.

'With the controls that are in place there is no danger to the lake," he said.

The owner of the land had been unable to farm it properly and had wanted the kauri logs removed so it could be levelled, he added. All the work done had been permitted, and the council would have put a stop to it immediately had any indigenous wetland been put at risk.

"If people want to take logs out of land that's covered in kikuyu or gorse they can legally do so. There is no problem," Mr Wiessing said.

"There is plenty of this (kauri) around, and these guys aren't going to go where they're going to have problems in terms of protecting the environment. They'll just go somewhere else."

Pumping of the water had been stopped after the NEPS pointed out that the permissible daily maximum was 30 cubic metres, but moving the water had not been cause for concern.

"They thought they were doing the right thing, and environmentally they were, but the rules are the rules," Mr Wiessing said.