"We want Lake Dunstan to have a lakeside retreat feel – to be a magnet for people and something we can all be proud of. The work we are now able to do on behalf of the community will add biodiversity and be a catalyst for all to get out there and enjoy passive recreation, water sports and a generally healthier life."
- Chairman, Werner Murray |
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The DamIt’s been nearly thirty years since Lake Dunstan, with her many moods, took shape behind the million-cubic-metre hunk of concrete known as the Clyde Dam.
The project was the largest of an ambitious National government’s ‘Think Big’ schemes and the story is a colourful one featuring a town that drowned, fault lines, fire-bombs and eye-watering budget blow-outs. Construction wound up in the mid-1990s but work on the new lake and shoreline, to create a promised recreational asset, was never completed. |
Issues to Overcome
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Today Lake Dunstan is well loved. That magical changing light unique to Central Otago keeps the cameras clicking, but the ugly underbelly of neglect is increasingly evident.
The invasive lakeweed Lagarosiphon major has rendered fishing areas inaccessible and choked up swimming spots and boat-launch zones. Unsightly great rafts of weed clog the bays, particularly in the northern reaches of the 40km long lake. In the Kawarau Arm silt carried down the Shotover River has been left to build up. The jewel in Cromwell’s tourism crown – the Cromwell Heritage Precinct – often overlooks mud flats dotted with clumps of debris. Facilities for family picnics and general lakeside enjoyment are lacking and no one body or group is tasked with tackling the issues as a whole and ensuring there’s a future-proofed plan for the ongoing care of Lake Dunstan. It is our hope that with your input, all this can now begin to change. |
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How you can Help
Join the Friends of Lake Dunstan
Be part of a collective effort creating an attractive, safe environment for all. You might one day have the privilege of seeing your own mokopuna enjoying a clean and cared for Lake Dunstan and be able to tell them that you helped make it happen! |
Support the Charity
As a charitable trust we are reliant upon the kind support of volunteers and donations from our local community. With over 26 km² of water and surrounding land its a big job, and we need your help (and money) to make a difference. |
Become a Corporate Sponsor
We are ramping up our operations to help transform Lake Dunstan. Become part of history by becoming a corporate sponsor. In return your business will be published on our website for the whole town (and world) to see! |