Work to improve Lake Hood water quality ‘looking good’
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The first project to improve water flow into a popular Canterbury recreational lake is “looking good so far”.
A new channel to divert water from the existing Ashburton River intake channel to the Lake Hood extension has been completed, as the council works towards improving water quality.
Lake Hood, a made-made lake south of Ashburton, has been plagued by algal blooms in recent years.
Ashburton Ditrsict Council infrastructure and open spaces group manager Neil McCann said a drone was sent up on Sunday and Monday to see how it was working.
“We had some water coming in from the river with some sediment in it so it was really useful to see how it was working.
“Initially, it looks like it’s doing slightly better than we expected.
“It is getting water down to the northwestern canals.
“So far it is looking good.”
The council is attempting to tackle the water quality issues after taking over the management of the lake earlier this year.
The council budgeted $250,000 for water quality improvements in the 2024-25 financial year and the new channel was the first project.
No extra water is being taken from the river.
It is water from the existing water-take consent being split between the new channel and the canal into the original lake at the northern-end beach.
The idea behind the secondary inlet is to help flush the canals on the western side of the lake, McCann said.
Now that it is up and running, it will be monitored to ensure the water is ending up where they want it, he said.
The new channel aims to improve water quality at Lake Hood, with the council committed to investing in long-term solutions, he said.
The council also wants to make improvements at the river intake and is continuing discussions with Environment Canterbury about river water.
The Lake Extension Trust Limited had previously managed the lake and surrounds for the council but since July 1.
Ashburton Contracting Limited has been managing the lake on a five-year contract.
A weed harvester was purchased for around $180,000 earlier this year and Ashburton Contracting Limited staff have been trained to drive it and are expected to start using it in October.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.7% Other - I'll share below
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