‘Scoping study’ to ease lakes management confusion

A still Lake Dunstan without a breath of wind. The health of Otago’s lakes could soon become more...
A still Lake Dunstan without a breath of wind. The health of Otago’s lakes could soon become more of a focus for the Otago Regional Council as it considers developing an Otago lakes strategic plan. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
Freshwater lakes are a major part of Otago’s identity.

And the Otago Regional Council will today discuss how to ensure that the environmental and amenity values of the region’s lakes improve.

During long-term plan discussions in May councillors set aside $200,000 over two years to establish a strategic plan to protect Otago’s lakes.

But with major planning work on freshwater already under way at the council, council senior strategic analyst Sylvie Leduc said the first step towards developing an Otago lakes strategic plan should be hiring a consultant to make sure there was value in such a plan.

The development of a new plan, in addition to existing lakes management documents, might create confusion and increase uncertainty over lake management, Ms Leduc said.

In light of that, she proposed a two-stage ‘‘scoping study’’ to minimise that risk.

The scoping study would ensure that the purpose and function of an Otago Lakes Strategic Plan actually filled a gap and complemented the existing management framework.

In her report to the council’s strategy and planning committee, Ms Leduc said Otago lakes were important to the region’s identity, economy, and wellbeing.

And many lakes in Otago were valuable ecosystems.

‘‘Whatever their size, lakes are particularly vulnerable to degradation,’’ she said.

Sediment and nutrients from upper catchments settled in lakes, and had the ability to destabilise ecosystems, and create algal bloom risks in the long-term.

Lake snow in Lake Wanaka and lagarosiphon in Lake Dunstan were two examples of the risks of invasive species in lakes.

‘‘The state of Otago lakes is very varied: lowland and coastal lakes tend to have a higher eutrophic state while highland and alpine lakes usually have good to excellent water quality,’’ she said.

After the first stage of the scoping study was complete, a second stage could determine whether the strategic plan would cover all lakes in Otago, or just a selection of lakes.

It would also then be decided how a strategic plan would integrate with existing lake strategies, she said.

The procurement processes for the two stages should be separate to make sure the recommendations from the first stage were as unbiased as possible, she said.

Comments

With every respect, the ORC should not worry about a Lake Management Plan and focus on the multiple plans that are a shambles. The ORC policy department have made a hash-job of every plan change and document they have made since Plan Change 6A. This department has cost the ratepayer many millions in shambolic and unlawful (the judges description) planning documents. The best option is for them to all resign (and especially the management) and start again.