Student's 'goldmine' discovery offers new insight into water quality stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Water quality concern deepens at Ōtūwharekai/Ashburton Lakes stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
‘Sensitive’ lakes have ecological and cultural importance
Several of Canterbury’s high-country lakes are recognised as being ‘sensitive’, with specific provisions in the LWRP included to protect them. In addition to having high ecological values these lakes are recognised in statute as culturally significant historical food gathering and mahinga kai sites.
In response to concerns at the state of these lakes, three rūnanga – Te Runanga o Arowhenua, Te Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga and Te Taumutu Rūnanga – initiated a working group in 2019 of statutory agencies (Environment Canterbury, DOC, Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, Ashburton District Council and Fish & Game) along with local farmers and other resource users to address this issue.
A
new scientific report commissioned by Environment Canterbury
and the Department of Conservation (DOC) provides further
support for the efforts of rūnanga, public agencies and
farmers to address declining water quality in the Ashburton
high-country lakes/Ō Tū Wharekai.
The report
(PDF File, 2.27MB) was commissioned to provide
information on the nutrient reductions required to achieve
water quality targets set by the community in the Land
and Water Regional Plan (LWRP). The conclusions from the
Cawthron Institute found that significant reductions in
nutrient loads will be required to preserve water quality in
the high-country lakes studied.
The lakes are
sensitive to nutrient inputs from several sources, including