Government pledge to fund lake work is "good news", says regional council
For immediate release: Tuesday 29 June 2004
Environment Bay of Plenty has welcomed a Government pledge to help fund costly but urgent remediation work to improve
Lake Rotoiti's water quality.
"It is definitely good news," says chairman John Cronin. "We are delighted the Government is able to contribute in this
way. It will help us to fast track short term works without placing an undue loan burden on our ratepayers."
However, Mr Cronin said it was regrettable that the Government declined a request to assist financially with important
work related to the overall Rotorua Lakes Protection and Restoration Action Programme. This work, which includes
research, monitoring and the development of action plans, is budgeted to cost Environment Bay of Plenty $2.2 million
over the next 12 months. The regional council asked the Government to contribute $950,000 towards it.
In their announcement, Environment Minister Marian Hobbs and Health Minister Annette King offered $7.2 million
specifically to help fund short-term measures aimed at rapidly improving water quality in Lake Rotoiti.
Of the total, $3.2 million will go towards the cost of reticulating sewage in the lakeside communities of Mourea and
Okawa Bay. The remaining $4 million will contribute to urgent remedial engineering works in Lake Rotoiti over a two-year
period.
A key option under investigation by Environment Bay of Plenty is to divert water flowing from Lake Rotorua into Lake
Rotoiti via the Ohau Channel. Manager of environmental investigations John McIntosh says this water is loaded with
nutrients, degrading the water quality in Lake Rotoiti. New estimates show it is likely to cost $12 million to complete
the project.
Environment Bay of Plenty, Rotorua District Council and Te Arawa Maori Trust Board are working with the community to
improve water quality in both Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti. A working group was set up earlier this year to develop a
community-led Action Plan. It is likely to involve a variety of solutions, including both short-term options like
engineering works and long-term solutions such as land use changes.
ENDS