Not enough action to save Rotorua lakes, say residents

By CHARLOTTE WINSTONE

Plans to save the Rotorua lakes affected by algal bloom are too moving too slowly, say residents and bach landowners in the area.

Research by a Waikato University professor, David Hamilton, indicates Rotorua lakes have been overfed with nutrients for decades and this has resulted in oxygen being lost from the bottom of the lakes. Because the lakes have been deteriorating for a number of decades it could take as long for them to improve.

Environment Bay of Plenty plans to begin detoxifying one of the lakes, Lake Rotoiti, in 2005.

Rotoiti bach owner Derek Nolan says residents did not know how bad things were.

"Our main grizzle at Lake Rotoiti is we never knew this was a problem. Residents are upset that it has got this bad."

Mr Nolan says the lake is now in such a bad state it will be more difficult and expensive to remedy.

He says Lake Rotoiti was closed from Anniversary weekend to March this year and although it was open in Easter they could not swim or waterski.

Another Rotoiti bach owner says he cannot take a shower because the water is yellow.

Mr Nolan says the regional and district councils did not adequately advise residents and land owners about the extent of the problem. He says authorities were aware of problems with lake water quality for many years but no action was taken.

Environment Bay of Plenty spokesman Paul Dell says while EBOP was aware that nutrients were affecting the lakes for many years, they were surprised by how badly the lakes have deteriorated.

"I don't think anyone was expecting to see that continual degradation in Rotoiti."

He says EBOP circulated significant amounts of information in the Bay of Plenty and the warnings about the lakes have had national media coverage.

Mr Dell says a $31million sewage plant was installed in Rotorua and there was significant investment into retiring more land around the catchment lakes in 1990.

Rotoiti property owner Bob Smith says despite the Rotorua District Council's significant investment in the sewage plant it was "caught short" and the lakes continue to be polluted because of more than 40 years of sewage seeping into groundwater in the area.

EBOP formulated an action plan in 2000 to save the five lakes in the Rotorua district with the worst lake water quality: Lakes Rotorua, Rotoiti, Rotoehu, Okaro and Okareka.

Mr Dell says there is focused work being done to bring about long-term improvement of lake quality. The action plan aims to reduce levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the lakes.

"We haven't sat on our hands," he says.

Mr Dell says EBOP is well aware people want an "immediate cure" but he says there is no quick fix.

"Yes we need to do things but we're not going to do it the next day."

"You have to be careful that we're not going to cause an even greater environmental catastrophe."

Mr Dell says "major engineering options" may be the best option for the affected lakes. This may include diverting the water that flows from Lake Rotorua through the Ohau Channel into Lake Rotoiti. But he warns EBOP must adhere to proper process for the job to be done properly and for resource management requirements to be satisfied. More scientific research will need to be undertaken and interested parties must be consulted.

"If I did a consent tomorrow there would be insufficient information to pass scrutiny.
The government won't fast track something just for the sake of fast track if there isn't sufficient information."

This means consulting with Iwi, DOC and fishing groups which may take some time. Residents and absentee landowners worry the lakes will get progressively worse before they get better.

Lake Okareka, one of the smaller at risk Rotorua Lakes is to be the pilot lake for the EBOP strategy. Jack Smith, a resident of more than 40 years, says the fishing is deteriorating and "the weeds get worse every year".

"Everyone is screaming for action. It's taken them a hell of a long time for them to do something," he says.

But Mr Smith says the public needs to take responsibility too because although people were warned about the problem, few were concerned enough to take action.

"We've got to be blamed as much as anyone."

Mr Smith worries public consultation will slow the process down.

"The fear is that the action won't take place and whether the process they are doing is dragging out. Here we are at the end of 2003 and we're just working on the first effort."

* Charlotte Winstone is a journalism student at Auckland University of Technology.