Lowburn is gaining a reputation as a freedom camping trouble spot.
Freedom camping, for a maximum of three nights, was permitted there but many people were staying longer, the Central Otago District Council was told during its meeting on Wednesday.
Rose Quirk, of Colliers International, which manages the Dunstan lakeshore site for Land Information New Zealand, said it was difficult to enforce the three-night maximum stay and as well as using camper vans, some people were using tents or sleeping in cars.
The single toilet facility was inadequate for the volume of people camping at Lowburn. She suggested the site be restricted to self-contained vehicles.
''We can restrict numbers but they'll still be around - they'll just shift to another site,'' Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper said.
Cr Shirley Calvert said the campers were not all fruit pickers. Some were hospitality staff, too.
Mr Lepper said he wondered if orchardists would take up the challenge of providing more accommodation for their seasonal workers.
''It's a given that orchardists could do more,'' Cr Martin McPherson said.
As a Lowburn resident who drove past the camping spot every day, Cr Neil Gillespie was concerned by the high number of people staying there: ''I almost wonder if it's becoming a health issue''.
Ms Quirk said many of the complaints about the site over summer were about the state of the toilet block.
Cr Stu Duncan suggested the Cromwell Community Board find a piece of land for seasonal workers to camp throughout summer and provide portable toilets.
Cr Gillespie said if the board did that, it would be competing with existing accommodation providers.
The council received several complaints about lakeside litter in Lowburn over summer.
Ms Quirk said Lowburn was the main ''problem area'' for freedom camping in Central Otago.
''Large amounts'' of litter were collected from the site in January and February. She said groups of younger people camping in tents and cars were ''ruining the experience'' for other campers.
The council agreed the matter should be discussed at the next district camping forum.
