| Lake Waipu | |||||||||
| Length: | 700m (2,300feet) | ||||||||
| Alt: | Aerial view of Lakes Waipu and Oraekomiko | ||||||||
| Caption: | Aerial view of Lakes Waipu and Oraekomiko 2021-22 | ||||||||
| Image Bathymetry: |
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| Alt Bathymetry: | Lake Waipu | ||||||||
| Location: | North Island | ||||||||
| Coords: | -40.045°N 175.158°W | ||||||||
| Type: | dune lake | ||||||||
| Pushpin Map: | North Island | ||||||||
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location of Lake Waipu | ||||||||
| Catchment: | 527ha | ||||||||
| Basin Countries: | New Zealand | ||||||||
| Area: | 7ha (open water) | ||||||||
| Max-Depth: | 4.7m (15.4feet) | ||||||||
| Cities: | Rātana Pā | ||||||||
Lake Waipu, just south of Rātana Pā,[1] is a 7ha shallow coastal aeolian, or dune-dammed, lake. Horizons Regional Council has monitored water quality in the lake since 2015. The lake's catchment is mainly pasture and Rātana's treated sewage runs into a tributary of the lake, accounting for the trophic level index being eutrophic at 6.9, though the submerged plant indicator of 34.3% is better and Maori: [[kākahi]] (native freshwater mussels) live in the lake.
A $1.75 million project with the Ministry for the Environment, Rangitīkei District Council, Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa, Rātana Community Board, and the Department of Conservation,[2] will pipe the wastewater to land near Whangaehu beach. With planting and other improvements it is planned to improve the lake's pollution.[3]
Lake Waipu usually drains through the sand, as does nearby Lake Oraekomiko, though in places, especially in wet weather, a stream runs 2.2km (01.4miles) to the Turakina River.[4]