Lake Tekapo

The Timaru Herald (November 16) stated that a health warning had been issued for Lake Tekapo after high levels of faecal bacteria were found at samples taken at the site. A warning was issued by the South Canterbury medical officer of health saying of all the diseases possible, it included serious ones.

Several days later The Timaru Herald stated that the health warning had been lifted and that the water was now suitable for recreational use.

Several years ago, all the hutholders at Lake Alexandrina, which flows through Lake McGregor in to Lake Tekapo, were called to several meetings in Timaru, together with representatives of Environment Canterbury, Fish & Game, Ngai Tahu, Forest & Bird and Mackenzie District Council.

New rules were approved by all parties, that the greywater from all the huts was to be retained in holding tanks to be pumped out when full, the same that the toilet tanks had always been. We had the choice of installing an additional new tank to hold the greywater, or using the existing toilet tank and having them emptied more often.

This Lake Tekapo pollution seems to mean that the wastewater from the camping ground has been discharged in to Lake Tekapo all this time, even when the hutholders at Lake Alexandrina have been compelled to have their wastewater held and emptied by removal trucks for years.

Perhaps someone from the South Canterbury District Health Board could explain why the Tekapo camping ground had not been included in the overall District Plan, when the hutholders were given the expense of installing new tanks?

D H Darling Timaru