Residents' lake views identified

Lake Wanaka.

Rubbish in and beside Lake Wanaka, lake snow and water cleanliness are three of the main concerns Wanaka residents have about their alpine lake, a survey has found.

The survey was conducted by Dr Fabien Medvecky, of the University of Otago Centre for Science Communication, and was taken at two events jointly run by Otago Regional Council and the University of Otago multidisciplinary research group Catchments Otago in Queenstown and Wanaka earlier this year.

The survey asked residents of both communities how they used their lake, what concerned them about their lake, and how they felt about their lake now and into the future.

Thirty-two people were interviewed at a PechaKucha Night held in Queenstown on Friday, March 31, and 67 were interviewed at a second event ''Lab at the Lake'' in Wanaka, on Sunday, April 2.

The findings of the survey were turned into a report ''Our Lakes: how the communities of Queenstown and Wanaka use and value their lakes'' which will be presented to ORC councillors at a committee meeting today.

Dr Medvecky said the report served two purposes; it gave scientists and decision-makers a better understanding of how local communities used, valued and worried about their lakes, and it gave locals an opportunity to speak to the scientists and decision-makers.

''One interesting finding was that many Wanaka people were more pessimistic about the health of Lake Wanaka than Queenstown respondents were about Lake Wakatipu,'' Dr Medvecky said.

Although there was concern about the health of the lake, ''there was also optimism that if we do the right thing it should be OK'', he said.

The survey included residents who lived further away, but who had a strong and regular connection to the lake through holiday home ownership or regular visits to the area.

The main uses of the lakes were found to be walking, biking, sitting and picnicking beside them with both lakes important for their ''beauty and their aesthetic'' value.

The survey found respondents had a marked preference for ''active management'' of the environment of the lakes.

There was also a strong and consistent view that the water should be maintained to a high drinking quality standard, and cleaner water and fewer invasive species were the main community aspirations.

The survey also found two-thirds of the Wanaka community had concerns about the wellbeing of the lake over the next 20 years and respondents expressed fears the quality of the water was deteriorating, or would do so in the future.

Catchments Otago co-director and University of Otago professor of zoology Philip Seddon said he did not think there were a lot of surprises in the report.

''It was what you'd expect, but it was nice to have it confirmed from the people in the district that the natural environment was what they valued and that they understood you needed to manage it and protect it.''

He said the southern lakes were actually in very good condition, but being on the brink of some major housing developments in Wanaka and Queenstown, ''we needed to understand'' how these developments might have an impact on the water and health of the lakes.

Prof Seddon said he and other members of the Catchments Otago group had discussed the report with ORC chief executive Peter Bodeker and ORC scientists.

Mr Bodeker was unavailable for comment.

-By Kerrie Waterworth

- Otago Daily Times