Water-monitoring buoy priority despite refusals

A proposed water-monitoring buoy for Lake Wanaka remains a high priority for those concerned about the health of the lake, despite earlier funding rejections for the project.

At a Guardians of Lake Wanaka all-day seminar in Wanaka on Tuesday, discussion repeatedly turned to the need for the monitoring buoy, which would cost between $65,000 and $70,000 and provide a constant stream of data about key lake indices, including temperature, clarity, oxygen level, acidity and algal content.

Seminar participants included representatives from the Otago Regional Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council, Department of Conservation, Wanaka Residents' Association, Land Information New Zealand, Niwa, and University of Otago scientists, who presented data on the changing composition of the lake and discussed the issues affecting lake health and quality.

The seminar focused on Lake Wanaka, but aimed to be useful for agencies responsible for managing New Zealand deepwater lakes generally.

Minaret Station farmer Jonathan Wallis said he was ''disgusted'' a monitoring buoy funding application prepared by the Guardians of Lake Wanaka and the Wanaka Residents Association had been rejected by Central Lakes Trust.

''In my mind it was a huge opportunity lost. It's the kind of approach that we need to take. We haven't got a plethora of historic information [about Lake Wanaka].''

University of Otago limnologist [lake researcher] Dr Marc Schallenberg recommended the buoy remain a community-owned project because of its potential benefits for educational programmes and the farming community.

Guardians of Lake Wanaka chairwoman Helen Tait said the group could revisit the monitoring buoy proposal.