A new algal species in the Rotorua lakes is not toxic, according to test results by Environment Bay of Plenty.

EBOP environmental scientist Matt Bloxham says toxins from Microcystis wesenbergii, which appeared in the Rotorua lakes for the first time, were absent or below detection limits.
'It has been dominant this year in Lake Rotorua, the Okere Arm (Lake Rotoiti) and in the Kaituna River, yet hasn't occurred in high levels in the main body of Lake Rotoiti,” says Matt.
Algal blooms are symptomatic of catchment problems caused by nutrients in the lake from ground and surface water, say EBOP.