Best of 2019: Lake Wiritoa gets the all-clear from Horizons Regional Council

Lakelands Holiday Park owners Jackie and Darryl Dowman stand by as visitors prepare to go out on the lake.

This summer the Chronicle is bringing you another look at some of the best content of 2019. This story originally ran on January 2, 2019

Popular Whanganui holiday spot Lake Wiritoa has been given the all-clear for water activities.

The lake has had warning signs saying "This water is a health hazard" for the past two weeks due to algal bloom and the detection of a toxin in the water that can damage the liver of people who swallow it.

But on Tuesday, after the latest testing of water samples, Horizons Regional Council said the lake was okay for recreational use, and the warning signs have come down.

The blue-green algal density, which at one point was twice the density recommended for swimming, has dropped significantly.

"It was very low again this week and all toxin species were below detection levels from the toxin test," said Barry Gilliland, regional council water spokesman.

He said the Medical Officer of Health had agreed the health-risk warning be dropped to amber which means "caution advised".

"Blue-green algae density can change quite quickly, so the usual precautionary advice is still relevant."

Gilliland advised checking the lake for surface scum which should be avoided.

"Blue-green algae often lie toward the surface, so lake use should reduce cell density by stirring it into more of the lake volume," he said.

The lake is next to the Lakelands Holiday Park, the former Scoutlands property, which has new owners Darryl and Jackie Dowman.

At the weekend Jackie Dowman said the lake was the clearest it had looked in weeks. She keeps holiday-makers up to date with results of the water testing done by Horizons.

It is believed some visitors had cut their time at the lake short because of the warnings, but Darryl Dowman said: "Everybody's in cruise mode and it's really good."