5 September 2013
Hoorah for Rotorua Lake water quality!
Federated Farmers applauds a recent Bay of Plenty Regional Council report showing water quality improvement in the
Rotorua Lakes catchment has improved significantly.
“This gives a good, accurate illustration on the state of water quality within Rotorua Lakes,” says Neil Heather, past
provincial president Federated Farmers Rotorua-Taupo.
“It highlights all the good work done through collaborative partnerships with landowners and the community undertaken to
improve the lakes’ water quality. Federated Farmers supports the regional council’s use of the Trophic Level Index
(TLI), which has undoubtedly led to an overall increase in water quality of the lakes catchment.
“A major impact on these results was the decision to apply alum dosing, which is key for algal growth meaning there are
now less favourable conditions for weed growth and algal blooms.
“Federated Farmers believes this needs to continue in tandem with other nutrient management initiatives to achieve a
more balanced approach to managing water quality in the future.
“Management of the Rotorua Lakes’ water quality is a long-term and on-going programme and Federated Farmers is immensely
proud of all our members who have worked selflessly and tirelessly across many facets of the work.
“Our hope is the council will continue to adopt appropriate weighting with other issues that influence Rotorua Lake’s
water quality; such as the Rotorua District Council’s sewage discharge consent variation
“We look forward to working with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council on achieving better water quality outcomes within
the Rotorua Lakes,” Mr Heather concluded..
ends