Lake Tarawera

Lake Tarawera is a large lake (41 km²) with a large catchment (143.1 km²). It is also fed by seven other lakes. Lake Tarawera’s water quality is stable, although slightly worse than during the 1990s. A working party has been set up to look at the influences on lake water quality, and how to improve water quality over the long-term.

Action Plan Status: Initiated with working party
Quality Now:  2.9 TLI
Quality Goal:  2.6 TLI

Students from the University of Waikato, led by Professor David Hamilton, are doing a significant number of research projects on Lake Tarawera that will give the working party and decision-makers very useful information.  The Tarawera community ratepayers financially support some of these projects.  Conclusions from these research projects will be posted on this webpage as they are made available.

Nutrient and water budget for Lake Tarawera

• New rules for high-tech on-site effluent treatment as part of the reviewed On-Site Effluent Treatment Plan.
• Environmental Programme negotiations and agreements.
• Sewage reticulation.
• New rules for nutrient export from land use.
• Land use change to bush settlements or alternative crops.

Minutes

• Working Party meeting minutes - 3 May 2006
• Working Party meeting minutes - 21 June 2006
  • Rotorua Lakes Protection & Restoration Action Programme Presentation
• Working Party meeting minutes - 8 August 2006

 Newsletters

• Lake Tarawera newsletter - September 2006