Managing Lake Taupo water quality
Managing Lake Taupo water quality
Lake Taupo is a large, near pristine lake, highly valued for its crystal blue waters and dramatic vistas.
Taupo’s excellent water quality is derived from extremely low levels of plant nutrients and phytoplankton. Unlike many other lakes, the availability of nitrogen, rather than phosphorus, limits phytoplankton growth in Taupo – so increased nitrogen flows from rural land use and urban growth in the catchment promote phytoplankton growth, threatening the high water quality of the lake. Nitrogen flows from lakeshore settlements also encourage growth of some types of nuisance weeds and proliferations of algae along shorelines. Declining water quality is measurable, and is a source of concern to the community. Protecting the water quality of Lake Taupo is a significant resource management issue that is at the heart of sustainable development, and challenges the community and environment management agencies to respond effectively. The best scientific evidence suggests that we need to reduce nitrogen entering the lake by 20% to maintain the lake’s current health.
Over the last three years Environment Waikato has worked with Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, landowners, community groups, Taupo District Council, and central government, as well as NIWA and other research providers, to develop a management proposal that meets the community’s social, economic, environmental, cultural, and spiritual needs. Central government has provided funding for a sustainable development strategy for Lake Taupo (the 2020 Taupo-nui-a-Tia project) and has recently committed to a partnership with local and regional government and Ngāti Tūwharetoa to manage lake water quality.
The management proposal is nearly complete and should be available for public discussion in November this year. It envisages that everyone in the community, including the Waikato region and the rest of New Zealand, contribute to supporting the land use changes needed to protect the lake. While the uncertainty of change might be foremost in everyone’s mind, it’s important to remember that the benefits of change to protect the lake far outweigh the costs.