Tēnā koutou
Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere is currently CLOSED to the sea. The calm average level as at 0800 hrs on Monday 22nd April was 0.64m.
Q: What was the lake level reading before this one?
A: 0.62m. The calm average level as at 0800 hrs on Monday 15th April.
Q: When was the lake last opened to the sea?
A: The lake was mechanically opened on 18th November 2023 and closed naturally on 1stJanuary 2024.
Q: At what levels can the lake be opened to the sea at this time of year?
A: From the 1st April to 15st June : Any level (Fish passage, otherwise 1st April to 31st July 1.13m)
Lake level trend over the past 8 weeks (using the average values provided in the weekly email updates):
Water levels are reported as metres above sea level (masl), these levels are relative to the Lyttelton 1937 datum.
24/7 access to Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere water levels:
Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere levels are now available on our river flow data web page. These levels are average readings taken from the two gauges around the lake, one at Taumutu and the other at Seabridge Road/Nutts Cut. Please note that wind effect should be considered when interpreting this raw data. The wind information is currently not provided on the public web page, however, it may be requested by contacting Customer Services.
Click this link to go to the average lake level data webpage – https://www.ecan.govt.nz/data/riverflow/sitedetails/168307
- Or, navigate to the site named Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere (Average) from ECan’s river flow data webpage – https://www.ecan.govt.nz/data/riverflow
For more information on the mechanical opening of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere, please visit our web page here: https://ecan.govt.nz/your-region/your-environment/river-and-drain-management/opening-te-waihoralake-ellesmere/
- Open up Environment Canterbury’s river flow data web page using this link
- Scroll down to find the sites named Lake Ellesmere (Average)
- Click the site name or the link provided to view the lake level graph and/or download data
Leigh Griffiths, from ECan’s Engineering section, wrote on October 17, 2016:
For the first time we were able to capture some aerial footage as the lake was opened on 28 September 2016. You can view the footage here. For me, the footage demonstrates the scale and dangers of the job we face when opening. Hopefully people can appreciate that when the sea is bigger (it was relatively calm that day) the safety concerns and problems we can face even accessing the site.
An artificial opening of Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere is governed by the Lake Protocol which outlines the procedure around exercising the consent which lists key values of the lake to be considered in the decision making. A decision to open the lake is only made when the representatives in the Protocol Group have been consulted. Currently, the Protocol Group is consisted of the following organisations: (Fig 1).
Q: Where can I find the resource consent for the lake opening?
A: The Hearing Commissioners decision on the new joint resource consent application by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and Environment Canterbury was received on Wednesday 22 January 2014. The decision was to grant the application for a period of 15 years subject to a suite of mitigation measures. You can read the decision here: RMA92023020 Decision – Final
Q: What lake opening investigations are being carried out as part of Whakaora Te Waihora?
NIWA and the University of Canterbury have investigated options for an engineered lake level. As part of this project a website has been created which summarises the options that have been considered over the years. There is further information here.