Public pressure has reopened Lake Hood in Canterbury despite the algal bloom health warning remaining in place.
The Ashburton District Council announced that full vehicle access to the road around Lake Hood was restored, but stopped short of saying the lake closure was lifted, at the end of last week.
Council chief executive Hamish Riach confirmed that “since the lake access is now open for public use, so is the lake itself”.
“We are not promoting the lake’s use, as a health warning remains which advises against contact recreation.”
The council closed the lake on April 3 after it was revealed two people were poisoned by the toxic algae.
Riach had previously stated the lake would remain closed until the health warning was removed but that changed on June 19.
“We reviewed our stance on opening access to the lake based on a range of factors.
“We reinstated lake access due to lower cyanobacteria test results and increasing dissatisfaction with the prolonged closure.
“We also had growing negative feedback about the closure preventing access to the surrounding park spaces and movement around the whole lake.
“We also considered the much lower likelihood of people using the lake for contact recreation in the colder winter months.”
Opening the gates allows people to drive around the lake, and the public boat ramp and main swimming beach are accessible again.
“We ask that the community continues to take due notice of and respect the health warning, by avoiding contact recreation.”
A health warning was placed on the man-made lake on March 20.
Riach said the council’s only ways to enforce the closure were to try and prevent people from using the lake with communications, signage, and closure of the gates.
“We are aware that people have still used the lake despite it being closed.”
The council had planned to reopen the lake once the health warning was lifted, which requires two consecutive weekly tests with a total cyanobacteria biovolume below 0.5mm3/L.
One result below that was achieved on May 28 (0.06 mm3/L) but the next test on June 4 was 2 mm3/L.
The latest test results from June 13 were 0.5 mm3/L, with Environment Canterbury awaiting the results of last week’s testing.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.