Work to restore Lake Horowhenua’s environmental health, which has been progressing well since the establishment of the Lake Horowhenua Accord (He Hokioi Rerengatahi) in 2013, will increase in momentum later this year following a High Court decision last week.
The Court’s decision was to dismiss an appeal made by the Hokio Trust, allowing Horizons Regional Council’s weed harvester to undergo a test harvest on the Lake this Spring, the Horowhenua District Council said in its latest release.
Horizons is also currently constructing a major sediment trap near where the Arawhata Stream enters the Lake.
Dr Roygard said that once completed, later this year, the trap should significantly reduce the amount of sediment and phosphorus entering the lake from all streams by at least 25 percent.
Lake Horowhenua Accord chairperson Matt Sword says the Accord’s suite of key interventions aims to address toxic algal blooms, address decades of sedimentation and reduce the amount of nutrients entering the lake from rural and urban sources, as well as to increase native fish populations by improving habitat and access to and from the lake.
The work is funded from the $1,270,500 Lake Horowhenua Restoration Fund and includes $540,000 provided from the Ministry for the Environment’s Fresh Start for Freshwater Fund, and $730,500 of combined funding from Horizons Regional Council and Horowhenua District Council, as well as in-kind support from industry (Tararua Growers Association and DairyNZ).
[mappress mapid=”24250″]