Otago Regional Council (ORC) chairman Stephen Woodhead will this week update councillors on his efforts to gain more resources to help counter the invasive aquatic weed lagarosiphon in Lake Dunstan.
At a council regulatory committee meeting in February, councillors directed Mr Woodhead to approach relevant government ministers to gain more resources to help counter the pest after Cr Michael Laws, of Cromwell, argued it was ''critical that the ORC takes the lead'' in fighting lagarosiphon in Lake Dunstan.
Mr Woodhead said he expected to provide councillors with an update at the council's meeting in Oamaru today after seeking advice from Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean.
''But it's a little more complicated than that - as I say, ORC is not the lead agency.''
In the 10 Year Management Plan for Lagarosiphon at Lake Dunstan: 2016 to 2025 - discussed at the February meeting - the ORC is listed as one of nine groups in the Lake Dunstan Weed Management Group.
The 10-year plan prepared by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) for Land Information New Zealand (Linz) and the group.
Linz announced in September it would implement the plan.
At the time, the Otago Daily Times reported about $100,000 was spent on the problem in the lake each year, split between Linz and Contact Energy.
