Call to clear algae for dragon boating

HARD PADDLING: Dragon boats in competition at a Henley Lake regatta three years ago. PHOTO/FILE

Urgent action must be taken to overcome algae blooms on Henley Lake so that competitive, popular dragon boat racing can once again become a summer attraction, Masterton district councillors were told this week.

Lindy Daniell, club captain of the Cancer Society's Wairarapa Dragon Boat Club, called on the council to renew its efforts to rid the lake of the scourge which reappears most years in warmer months and upsets recreational activities in and around the lake.

Mrs Daniell and the club's secretary, Sue Kingford, were speaking at a Hearings Committee annual plan meeting.

Mrs Daniell said Henley Lake is the jewel in the council's crown and is a "magical attraction" for nine months of the year.

"The other three months it becomes a dangerous algae bloom factory and last summer was the most violent bloom of all," she said.

Mrs Daniell said the club had revived the sport of dragon boating in Wairarapa and before the algae bloom problem became entrenched its February regattas were hugely popular public events.

The club was announced as the Sports Club of the Year at the TA 2014 Wairarapa Sports Awards last night.

"We recognise the complex nature of the issue," she said.

The club has identified the non-operation of the turbidity gates from the Ruamahanga River as being one of the issues that needs fixing. Silt laden with nutrients flows into the lake, encouraging algae growth.

"The reality is the gates are less than adequate to control the flow and blooms often happen after floods," Mrs Daniell said.

The club recognises that not one single action would solve the problem but a combinations of actions could.

Ms Kingford said whereas having some species of waterfowl on the lake was accepted the proliferation of Canada geese was not.

The huge volume of geese droppings polluted the lake and shore, adding further nutrients that aided the algae blooms.

Councillor David Holmes told the meeting the Canada geese are on "the hit list" but no action to cull them will be taken until November or December.

He said Greater Wellington Regional Council would be taking care of reducing the geese population.