KEY POINTS:
An action plan has been laid out to fight erosion that is threatening parts of Lake Taupo foreshore.
The Lake Taupo Erosion Study identified nine sites at immediate risk but found no homes were affected.
The study was carried out by Beca Infrastructure Ltd for the Taupo District Council and Environment Waikato.
The high risk erosion sites included Waitahanui, Hatepe, Motutere, Te Rangiita, Whangamata Bay and Whakaipo Bay, Kuratau and Whareroa, as well as the stretch of foreshore from Waikato River to Wharewaka Point, including Taupo Township.
Service pipes at Waitahanui, Kuratau, and between Four Mile Bay and Waipahihi could also be at risk in the future.
The study recommended several soft, structural options including beach replenishment and revegetation, as well as continued monitoring.
Taupo Mayor Rick Cooper and Environment Waikato's Taupo representative Laurie Burdett said the study provided a way forward in terms of creating an erosion and flood strategy for Lake Taupo.
"The challenge in developing the strategy is to work with our key stakeholders and the community and come up with equitable, affordable, and effective solutions for dealing with the erosion risk.
"The priority for us all is to get the final strategy in place so we have a firm long term plan that will enable consistent management of erosion issues."
The study showed that the erosion was influenced by a combination of natural and human factors. It recommended a lake wide monitoring programme which would provide long term scientific data to assess how much each of the natural and human causes were influencing erosion.
- NZPA
