$83m bid to save scenic lake

By JO-MARIE BROWN

Taupo's residents and landowners are facing land use restrictions and an $83.5 million bill to help improve Lake Taupo's deteriorating water quality.

The cost of saving the lake was outlined yesterday in a new plan designed to reduce the amount of nitrogen entering the lake by 20 per cent over the next 15 years.

Lake Taupo is still considered healthy, but its water quality has started to slip and the amount of nitrogen entering the lake needs to be reduced to prevent toxic algal blooms from regularly forming in the future.

The "Protecting Lake Taupo" plan is a joint effort by Environment Waikato, the Government, the Taupo District Council and Ngati Tuwharetoa. Its proposals are now up for public debate.

One controversial aspect will be the question of who should pay the $83.5 million, much of which will be used to buy farms and convert them to land uses, such as forestry, that produce less nitrogen.

Environment Waikato's chairman, Neil Clarke, said yesterday that he believed most New Zealanders would be happy to contribute financially to saving the lake.

"There are many people who have had the opportunity to visit Taupo and appreciate what an icon we have here and they recognise the importance to New Zealand of having tourists come here to see the lake."

Taupo's mayor, Clayton Stent, said it was important that a fair and equitable solution was found.

"Even though we live here, the lake is a national asset ... and for that reason alone the burden should not fall on local residents."

The plan identifies areas where changes need to be made. They include:

* Upgrading community sewerage schemes.

* Imposing higher environmental standards for new urban developments.

* Changing land use in rural areas to reduce nitrogen runoff.

Firm rules will be established by July next year.

A "nitrogen cap" is likely to be enforced, preventing farm and forestry owners changing the way they use their land if it results in more nitrogen leaching into groundwaters.

Sheep and beef farmers will be unable to convert to dairy farms, and forestry blocks - which produce a very small amount of nitrogen - will never be converted to pastoral land.

Farmers say such restrictions would cost them between $112 million and $175 million in lost economic opportunities over the next 10 years.

Lake Taupo and Lake Rotoaira forest trusts spokesman Geoff Thorp said a nitrogen cap would be unfair because it punished forest owners by restricting their options.

Mr Thorp favoured one of the plan's alternative options - a nitrogen credit trading system under which people could produce more nitrogen from their land if someone else was producing less.

Farming groups said they were also concerned about inequities created by the plan, as farms would not be economic unless they were allowed to expand.

Sue Yerex of Taupo Lake Care said more research and development was needed to help farmers convert their land, which was also likely to drop in value as a result of the changes.

Taupo rescue plan

What has happened?

A plan to improve Lake Taupo's health by reducing the amount of nitrogen going into the water by 20 per cent has been announced. Achieving that reduction, mainly by changing land use, will cost $83.5 million over the next 15 years.

Who will pay?

Still to be decided, but it will be a combination of national taxpayers and Environment Waikato and Taupo District Council ratepayers. Taupo residents fall into all three categories.

How will the proposals affect Taupo landowners?

Farmers and forestry owners will not be allowed to increase their present nitrogen output so future development will be restricted. Sewage treatment and disposal will be more expensive for some urban residents.