Potentially toxic algae is regularly found in the lagoon, restricting people and their pets from using it.
The algal bloom present in the lagoon earlier this year receded in March.
Otago Regional Council staff are in the process of creating a draft management plan for the lagoon, which includes the whole catchment.
Within the draft, there was a list of 19 potential projects that could be delivered by the council or other key stakeholders, council project delivery specialist Libby Caldwell said.
The community is invited to see the draft plan at a public drop-in session on April 29 and provide feedback.
The drop-in sessions would be different from the community engagement sessions that took place a few years ago — that information was used to create the draft plan and outline potential projects.
"Now we need a little bit more detail from the community on things they would like to see done first to achieve the water quality and biodiversity outcomes for the lagoon," Ms Caldwell said.
People would be asked to pick the top three projects they thought were most important, or suggest any other key things that might have been missed.
"Through that process we will prioritise those projects in order of importance for the community," Ms Caldwell said.
There were a range of potential projects, including education and awareness, native plant restoration, fencing, supporting the formation of a catchment group, pest and weed programmes, and reducing the frequency of algal blooms.
There was already lots of awesome environmental work going on with the community that the council wanted to support, Ms Caldwell said.
Funding for the projects will be determined through the council’s long-term plan and should be made clear by the end of June.
Any budget would be spent on the projects that were given the highest priority.
"It is a priority for ORC to deliver some positive environmental outcomes."
If a catchment group was formed, that group would then be able to access other funding streams from other entities separate from council budgets.
Since the lagoon was home to lots of wildlife, there was a fine balance between protecting them and making the lagoon usable for recreational activities.
It was important to ensure the wildlife still had a refuge and were not scared away by lots of people.
"I would like to see the community able to enjoy the lagoon as much as they would like it.
"It’s a good step forward."
The public drop-in session will be held at Grants Braes Football Clubrooms on Thursday, April 29 from 3pm until 7.30pm. People could also submit their feedback online.
