Contact appealed the strategy to the Environment Court, unhappy with its proposed status as an occupier of the lake, on which it owns and operates the Clyde hydro dam.
The ORC offered amendments to its strategy in relation to legal definitions of occupiers of areas affected by the invasive weed, which were accepted by Contact.
References to "persons who dam water" being occupiers and therefore responsible for controlling lagarosiphon in water dammed were deleted from the strategy, as were timelines for occupiers to control the weed.
In a decision dated May 26 Environment Court judge Jon Jackson allowed Contact's appeal, on the basis both parties had already come to an agreement with proposed amendments.
"Contact and the Otago Regional Council negotiated and they lodged a consent memorandum . . . setting out agreed amendments to the lagarosiphon section of the strategy, purporting to resolve the appeal," Judge Jackson's written decision stated.
An ORC affidavit stated proposed amendments would better achieve the purposes of the Biosecurity Act 1993, and objectives of the pest management strategy in respect of lagarosiphon.
Judge Jackson stated the amendments alone resolved the issue and no order for costs was made as no party had sought costs.
Contact communications manager Jonathan Hill told the Otago Daily Times the company never intended to stop its involvement in managing the spread of lagarosiphon within Lake Dunstan.
"All we were looking to do was clarify our status under the Biosecurity Act and we've reached an agreement which does that. It's a relatively simple matter of some wording and doesn't change our stance in relation to dealing with the issues.
"Now we can get on with managing lagarosiphon in partnership with the ORC and Land Information New Zealand," he said.
Mr Hill said the amended strategy did not change Contact's financial contribution towards managing lagarosiphon, or its practical involvement.
The ORC is expected to give final approval to the strategy at its meeting in Dunedin this month.
