02 March 2026 Professor Susie Wood leads research into Lake Hood’s toxic blooms

Lincoln University Professor Susie Wood's expertise as a freshwater scientist specialising in revitalising Aotearoa’s lakes is helping investigate how to restore Lake Hood in Ashburton, a widely used and much-loved recreational lake.

Lake Hood is the largest recreational man-made lake in Aotearoa, attracting up to 200,000 people each summer. The lake was opened to the public in 2002 and was used extensively by the community for 20 years, with healthy water quality levels recorded. Around four years ago, algal blooms began degrading water quality, possibly producing harmful toxins that make human contact with the water hazardous.

Professor Wood was contacted late last year by the Ashburton District Council to provide expert advice on what was causing the blooms and offer guidance on possible ways to help manage them, both in the short and long term.

The Ashburton District Council recently published an update on the research, including comments from Professor Wood.

Excerpt from Ashburton District Council’s article:

Professor Wood said that when she first became involved in the project, she expected poor circulation to be the primary cause of the lake’s problems.

However, research has since revealed a much more complex picture.

“Our research is focusing on two key aspects. First, we are trying to understand why the blooms are forming.

"Currently, we think that in addition to water circulation, pulses of nutrients entering the lake from the river and sediments, along with fish that alter the lake’s food webs, are all contributing,” she said.

“In the second part of our research, we are exploring whether chemical and biological products can help in the short term.

"Our idea is that these might be applied in specific locations, particularly when blooms are just beginning, to reduce their intensity.

"These products will not fix the underlying problem, but they may help while we work towards longer-term solutions.”

Read the full Ashburton District Council article to learn more about the remediation tools being used to improve the water quality at Lake Hood HERE >>

Image: Professor Susie Wood with student Sadhvi Patel. Image credit: Ashburton District Council.