ORC to look into lowering lake levels

THE Otago Regional Council will investigate how to lower water levels at Lake Hayes.

Councillors made the decision at a meeting this week to invite the QueenstownLakes District Council, Department of Conservation and the NZ Transport Agency to cofund an investigation to establish a target water level range for the lake.

It would also invite the groups to help with the investigation, consenting, design, construction, maintenance and funding of infrastructure to manage the lake level to that range.

The move comes after concerns expressed by the district council, Friends of Lake Hayes and the Wakatipu Reforestation Trust about high lake levels and the performance of the culvert at the outlet of the lake.

The culvert is owned by the transport agency, which has no plans to upgrade it.

The concerns relate to impacts on use of the walkway and trail around the lake, effects on crested grebe habitat, increased runoff of nutrients from flooded land and the death of native plantings.

Staff noted it was a wet spring last year which resulted in higher than normal lake levels for that season.

Cr Bryan Scott said the council should take the opportunity to work with other parties and assess the problem.

‘‘What alternative do we have?’’

Cr Michael Laws said the council should just ‘‘lead’’, and fix the culvert itself.

Chairman Stephen Woodhead questioned why the council would do this when it did not own the culvert.

The council has inspected the culvert and Hayes Creek and removed debris, and has also undertaken a preliminary feasibility investigation of excavating the creek.