The health warning issued in December for Lake Rotoiti has been partially lifted by the local Medical Officer of Health.
However, the health warning remains in place for the Okere Arm at the western end of the lake.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council laboratory testing of recreational water shows the presence of potentially toxic levels of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae in these locations. Laboratory tests also indicate that algal blooms in other parts of the lake have subsided. Visual observations and satellite imagery provided by Bay of Plenty Regional Council are consistent with the laboratory results.
Contact with water affected by blooms of blue-green algae can cause asthma and hayfever attacks in some individuals. Contact with the blue-green algae can also cause skin rashes, stomach upsets, and in some cases neurological effects such as tingling around the mouth, headaches, breathing difficulties and visual problems.
People and their pets should avoid contact with the water.
Check the Toi Te Ora health warnings page for further information or the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes Programme website for details of recent water quality tests.