November 30, 2018
Lagoon clean up strategy upsets farmers
Plans by an iwi-backed trust to improve water quality in a Southland lake are facing opposition from farmers.
Whakamana Te Waituna Trust includes representatives of Te Rūnanga o Awarua, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, regional and district councils, the Department of Conservation and Fonterra’s Living Water partnership.
It wants to set an operational long term maximum water level in Waituna Lagoon of between 2.3m and 2.5m, but local farmers want the lagoon opened to the sea at 2 metres to prevent flooding and damage to their drainage networks.
The trust plans to spend $13 million in the area, but farmer say they can’t trust the trust.
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