Environment Waikato and Taupo District are working on a Flood and Erosion Strategy for Lake Taupo

Environment Waikato and Taupo District Council are continuing to work together to develop a Strategy to guide future management of the flood and erosion risk around the Lake Taupo foreshore.

A draft Lake Taupo Erosion and Flood Strategy is due to be completed towards the end of the year and released for formal public consultation. As well as identifying future management options it will clarify roles, responsibilities and funding.

At a workshop in Taupo on Wednesday August 21 Taupo District Council and Environment Waikato representatives agreed that a collaborative approach to developing and implementing the Strategy remained the best way forward.

It followed a statement from Taupo District Council last week expressing disappointment at a recent Environment Waikato Regulatory Committee decision not to review Mighty River Power’s resource consents for lake level management. Mayor Rick Cooper and Deputy Chairman of Environment Waikato, John Fisher, said the workshop gave Councillors an opportunity to get together for some “frank and open” discussion.

“As a result both parties were able to confirm their commitment to taking a combined approach to deal with the erosion issues around the lake.”

Both Councils also gave the green light to trialling a number of erosion management options at Five Mile Bay. The work is to be jointly funded by Taupo District Council and Environment Waikato.

Environment Waikato also confirmed that Mighty River Power has begun erosion monitoring at four high risk sites around Lake Taupo. The monitoring is in line with recommendations in a technical report into erosion, commissioned by both Council’s, as part of the Strategy development.
Environment Waikato said the results would be shared with Taupo District Council as soon as the information became available.

The technical report into erosion and a similar flood study, along with public consultation undertaken earlier in the year, is being used as the basis for development of the Strategy.