Lake Rotorua is experiencing its highest sustained levels since 2017 following heavy rainfall in June and July according to Bay of Plenty Regional Council data.
The latest data shows the lake level has risen 600mm since April 2022 and Engineering Manager Mark Townsend says don't expect the level to drop quickly.
The water from Lake Rotorua flows out through the Ōhau Channel and stop-logs were removed in early June to allow more water to flow out of the lake.
'There's only so much water that can go out the Ōhau Channel so there's no quick fix”, says Mark.
'Continued rain will result in the high Lake Rotorua levels being sustained for longer and could even rise further.”
The high lake level will affect stormwater drainage in the lower reaches of the streams that flow into Lake Rotorua and there is likely to be increased erosion along lake frontages.
Regional Council has been communicating with Rotorua Lakes Council staff regarding stormwater issues in low lying areas as they are working to keep stormwater outlets clear to prevent flooding
It should also be noted that the level of Lake Rotoiti is controlled via the Okere Gates so this does not affect the levels in Lake Rotorua.
2 comments
SIMPLE REALLY
Posted on 29-07-2022 22:14 | By The Caveman
CLEAN OUT - YES DREDGE the channel between Lake Rotorua and Lake Rotoiti then ensure that the control gates on Lake Rotoiti are FULLY OPEN - send the excess water down the Kaituna River as would have happened BEFORE humans ever interfered with the natural flow from the lakes !!
Not that simple really
Posted on 01-08-2022 13:57 | By Hard But Fair
The changes made with the control gates have significantly reduced the incidence of flooding in Rotoiti. There used to be a natural Rock Weir on the Kaituna that was removed when the control gates were put in, lowering the level of the river bed by around 1m. As a result, when the Okere contol gates are wide open (as they are at the moment) they can let significantly more water down the river. As far as Rotorua is concerned the only control is the stop logs which hold the lake level artificially higher when levels are low. When levels are high these are removed. The Ohau Channel is several kilometres long. I dont think it would be simple or cheap to dredge and I imagine it would have some pretty full on environmental impacts to the likes Koura.
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