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Lake Wanaka

Lake Wanaka is a popular resort, and is much used in the summer for fishing, boating and swimming. The nearby mountains and fast-flowing rivers allow for adventure tourism year-round.

Lake Wanaka is located in the Queensland-Lakes Region of Otago, its name is Māori, a corruption of Oanaka ('The place of Anaka', a local tribal chief).

Lake Wanaka covers an area of 192 km2 which makes it the fourth larges New Zealand lake. It is 277 m above sea level, is up to 311 m deep and has a catchment area of 2590km2, inflows to the lake are the Makarora River at the north end and the Matukituki River on the south-west side. The outflow (where the lake is monitored) is to the south-east by way of the Clutha River.

The monitoring between 2006 and 2009 shows that Lake Wanaka appears to be in a stable state, with little change in water quality occurring over the last three years. Lake Wanaka is classified as being in an oligotrophic state. A water body’s trophic state is largely determined by nutrient inputs from the surrounding catchment. The major inputs into Lake Wanaka are the Makarora and Matukituki Rivers, both of which have glacial origins and high water quality.

The immediate catchment is likely to contribute some nutrient input into the lake i.e. stormwater from the township of Wanaka and runoff from fertilised agricultural areas. In addition to ongoing sheep farming, the lake is now a popular resort, and is much used in the summer for fishing, boating and swimming. The nearby mountains and fast-flowing rivers allow for adventure tourism year-round, with jetboating and skiing facilities located nearby

Lake Summary
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Scientific data for this lake

This dashboard shows information on the data collected by the regional councils and unitary authorities for two indicators of lake water quality and ecological condition: TLI (Trophic Level Index) and LakeSPI (Lake Submerged Plant Indicators).  Select an indicator to see the historical results.

  • Water Quality

    Trophic Level Index (TLI)

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    The TLI score is an indicator of lake health and is determined from a suite of water quality measurements.

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    Trophic Level Index (TLI) history for this lake

    The TLI score for a lake is calculated from four water quality measurements – chlorophyll a, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and water clarity. If water clarity is unavailable, TLI is calculated using the other three water quality measurements. A higher score indicates poorer water quality.

    View a factsheet on TLI

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    TLI history for Lake Wanaka
    Year

    What do the icons mean?

    VERY GOOD
    Very good water quality. Trophic Level Index of 0-2. Microtrophic lake conditions.
    GOOD
    Good water quality. Trophic Level Index of 2-3. Oligotrophic lake conditions.
    FAIR
    Average water quality. Trophic Level Index of 3-4. Mesotrophic lake conditions.
    POOR
    Poor water quality. Trophic Level Index of 4-5. Eutrophic lake conditions.
    VERY POOR
    Very poor water quality. Trophic Level Index of greater than 5. Supertrophic lake conditions.
    NO DATA
    No data available.
    TLI history for Lake Wanaka data table
    Year TLI Score
    Year TLI Score
  • Ecological Conditions

    Lake Submerged Plant Indicators (LakeSPI)

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    The LakeSPI status describes the ecological condition of the lake and is based on plants present.

    LakeSPI data provided by NIWA

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    LakeSPI history for this lake

    LakeSPI (Lake Submerged Plant Indicators) is a method of characterising the ecological condition of lakes based on the composition of native and invasive plants growing in them. A higher LakeSPI percentage result is associated with better ecological health:

    LakeSPI N/A
    LakeSPI {{spiData.details.Value}}%

    The overall LakeSPI score is calculated using a Native Condition Index ('good' plants) and an Invasive Impact Index (introduced, non-native plants):

    Native Condition N/A
    Native Condition {{spiData.details.NativeIndex}}%
    Invasive Impact N/A
    Invasive Impact {{spiData.details.InvasiveIndex}}% NA

    A higher Native Condition value indicates better ecological condition, but a higher Invasive Impact value indicates invasive plants are negatively impacting native plant communities.
    View a factsheet on LakeSPI for more information on these indicators.

    • LakeSPI
    • Native Condition
    • Invasive Impact
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    LakeSPI history for Lake Wanaka
    Year

    What is this graph showing me?

    This graph is displaying the overall LakeSPI score over time. The results denote the ecological condition of the lake.

    EXCELLENT
    Excellent ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 75-100%.
    HIGH
    High ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 50-75%.
    MODERATE
    Moderate ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 20-50%.
    POOR
    Poor ecological health. A LakeSPI score of 0-20%.
    NON-VEG
    Non-vegetated. A LakeSPI score of 0% (there are no plants present).
    NO DATA
    No data available.
    LakeSPI history for Lake Wanaka data table
    Sample Date LakeSPI Status LakeSPI % Native Condition Index % Invasive Impact Index %
    LakeSPI information has been provided by NIWA.
Sites

Monitored sites on Lake Wanaka

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No sites found.