By ANNE BESTON and NZPA
The Department of Conservation has issued a dire warning on water quality in Lake Taupo, saying continuing degradation could seriously harm the world-renowned trout fishery.
Increasing urban development, agriculture and forestry are boosting the volume of nutrients making their way into Lake Taupo and threatening the
long-term wellbeing of trout, DoC staff told a Taupo District Council meeting this week.
A gradual decline in water quality is expected over the next 20 years as nutrients from stormwater, animal effluent and fertiliser runoff make their way into the lake.
DoC's area manager for the Lake Taupo trout fishery, John Gibbs, said that while an enriched lake would, in the shorter or medium term, actually boost the health of the trout, in the long term it would be a disaster.
"We can all think of lakes that have become heavily enriched by nutrients and that have collapsed as a result," he said.
Environment Waikato, the regional council, has been wrestling with the problem for years, with help from the district council, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and DoC.
Environment Waikato is considering options to protect the water quality through its regional plan process.
One move that has been mooted is a ban on dairy farming in the catchment, but that is likely to be strongly opposed by farmers who argue that the degradation of Lake Taupo is a complex issue and that some of the problems with runoff are caused by urban development.
Early next year, Environment Waikato will release a draft strategy for protection of the lake. The public will be able to make submissions on the draft plan.
Environment Waikato - Lake Taupo
Herald feature: Environment
