Pāpāmoa residents say Tauranga City Council has let their lake become a swamp

Gary and Dianne James, Papamoa residents concerned about their stormwater reserve. Photo / Talia Parker.

A "big bog of mess", "bloody awful", "an embarrassment".

That's what Pāpāmoa residents along Oriental Parade say their "lake" has become because the Tauranga City Council, they claim, is neglecting the waterway.

However, the council says the waterway's primary purpose has always been for stormwater and contractors would be coming to clear weed "as soon as they have availability".

The houses along Oriental Parade back on to a section of the Te Ara ō Wairākei walkway, a public path along a long stormwater reserve.

Gary and Dianne James have lived on Oriental Parade since 2003 and say the "lake" was a big part of their decision to buy their section.

They said the waterway used to be "so clear" but, from 2018, weeds started to accumulate and the water became dirtier and more clouded until it resembled "a bog".

The section of the Te Ara ō Wairākei stormwater reserve residents were concerned about. Photo / Talia Parker

Gary said in his view: "When it first started to change, there was never any sort of effort [from the council] to try and maintain that appearance."

He believed the water deteriorated because the council reclassified it as "a stormwater reserve".

In his view: "They've just let this go. They don't spend the money."

Gary said the council brought a digger to clear the edges of the waterway every year or so, but it did not make a difference.

"The middle has just built up and built up. They can easily clear the perimeter every year, but that's not a full job done.

The reserve in 2014. Photo / supplied

"The quality of our water is not up to standard. They're getting our rates all the time - why aren't they spending it?"

The couple said they contacted the council multiple times.

Dianne said in her opinion: "It's like they've [the council] sort of abandoned us. There's so much that could be done."

Dianne said the waterway had a peat bed, so "it's not going to be blue", but other waterways around the area were not as bad as theirs.

"I've seen ducks and pukeko actually walk across [on the weeds]. There's nowhere even for them to swim.

"It looks like Chernobyl out there."

Because the other side of the water was a public walkway, Dianne said it should be cleaned up for the sake of the community.

"We don't have a lot of parks and things here, and it could really be beautified and made something.

"It's not just for our benefit, it is actually for everyone who lives here. If it was improved, it would actually be really beautiful."

"It just needs somebody to take a bit of interest in it."

Gill and Brian, who lived three houses down, said the waterway was the main reason they bought their section and built their house 16 years ago.

"It used to be beautiful," said Brian. "Now we affectionately call it our swamp."

Brian said the state of it was in his view "an embarrassment to the council".

"People used to come over and say, 'Wow, what a view,' now we try and not show it to them."

Gill said a maintenance worker used to row out to the middle of the lake and clean the weeds, but he believed that had stopped happening.

She said she had tried many times to get the council to do something, but she said workers "just scrape the weeds off the top".

Fellow resident Geoff Nicholson said the lake was "bloody awful".

"They just sort of skim the top," he said.

He said the other waterways on the walkway were beautiful, and the water near his home used to be "quite reasonable".

The section of the Te Ara ō Wairākei stormwater reserve residents were concerned about. Photo / Talia Parker

"I've never seen it as bad as it is now."

Another resident, who has lived by the waterway for more than seven years, said her house used to have "a different outlook completely" when the water was clean.

Now "it's just this big bog of mess".

She said the person she bought her house from came to visit and was near tears when she saw the state of the waterway.

She said the council "clean up the edges every now and then, but it doesn't make a difference".

She believed, "the money's being spent elsewhere."

Council drainage services manager Radleigh Cairns said contractors would clear the weed "as soon as they have availability".

"They anticipate this will be in two to three weeks."

An arborist had also been contacted to remove gorse, weeds and other vegetation.

"The 'lake' was created as part of the subdivision to provide storage for stormwater runoff from the development. Its primary purpose has always been for stormwater."

Cairns said the weed was last cleared nine months ago, "but will grow back over time".

"Where the water is deep enough, council uses grass carp to help curtail vegetation.

"This was tried in the Beachwaters/Oriental Parade area, but unfortunately the average depth of the water is not deep enough."

"Council continues to work on improving the water quality of the Wairakei and improve the amenity value of the stormwater reserve while preserving its primary function of minimising flooding."