Media Release

Consultation day on draft Lake Rotoma Action Plan
For immediate release: 2 June 2009

Lake Rotoma residents and interested persons are invited to consultation meetings later this month to talk about the draft Lake Rotoma Action Plan, which looks at ways to restore the water quality of the lake.

The meetings will be held on 18 June at the Rotoma Community Hall from 11am to 2pm and from 6pm to 8pm.

The Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group, made up of Te Arawa Lakes Trust, Rotorua District Council and Environment Bay of Plenty, is seeking feedback on the draft Lake Rotoma Action Plan, as part of the Rotorua Lakes Protection and Restoration Action Programme.

Environment Bay of Plenty Senior Planner Nick Zaman said the public consultation sessions are an opportunity for people to ask any questions they may have about the proposed actions, and do so in an open and informal environment. Verbal or written feedback on the draft action plan can be given there and then or at a later date.

Once completed, the Action Plan will guide decisions made by Environment Bay of Plenty and Rotorua District Council on what action needs to be taken over the next 20 years or so to reduce the nutrient inputs going into the lake.

Lake Rotoma has the best water quality of the 12 large Rotorua lakes but monitoring has shown that the lake water quality is slowly getting worse. The deterioration of water quality is from nutrients, namely nitrogen and phosphorus from septic tanks and farmland, being leached into the lake.

To reach the desired lake water quality the amount of phosphorus being discharged into Lake Rotoma needs to be reduced by at least 250 kg/yr (about 35 percent) and the amount of nitrogen by at least 1320 kg/yr (about 7 percent).

The draft Lake Rotoma Action Plan and feedback forms are available on Environment Bay of Plenty’s website www.envbop.govt.nz or phone 0800 ENVBOP (368 267). Feedback on the draft action plan closes on 3 July 2009 at 5pm

ENDS

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