Waituna recommendations report released

Interim recommendations for Waituna have been released and outline steps needed for short-term immediate action to reduce the risk of the Lagoon ‘flipping’.

Senior scientist Jane Kitson says this report is a momentous step forward. “We put together a panel of experts on Waituna Lagoon and on lagoon ecology and they all agreed on the guidelines,” Jane says.

The report suggests reductions of 50% are needed in nitrogen and phosphorus. It also recommends water quality targets based on 1995 levels and an opening/closing regime for the lagoon to manage sediment and nutrients in the short term.

“These recommendations give us a base from which we can do something, a place to aim for,” Jane says. “We aren’t trying to make the Lagoon pristine, that’s unrealistic, but these targets are achievable and will get us back to where the Lagoon is not at risk of flipping.”

The report now gives a chance for the experts and the Waituna community to understand the reductions needed to save the Waituna Lagoon. “Without it, we still wouldn’t know what reductions were needed in nitrogen and phosphorus.”

There is still more work to be done, with a review of the report scheduled in six months, as well as more research into sediment loads.

The report stops short of suggesting how or what land use changes might be needed. The Catchment Technical Group will now meet to work on how these recommendations relate to land use in the catchment and what that will mean for residents.

The interim recommendations are available to download here.