If it does, a number of north Waikato's lakes won't pass the test - the region's Lake Waikare is officially the coutry's dirtiest lake.
It's so dirty, in fact, that the regional council says it is unlikely to ever be restored.
"I think it's fair to say that part of the problem has crept up on us without us knowing - the problem is a blue green algae, which could put animals and humans at risk," says Bill Vant of the Waikato Regional Council.
The situation is the same at Lake Ngaroto, an hour's drive away.
"You may get irritation effects, perhaps someone splashing the water and getting it in their eyes and nose, you might get red eyes, swollen face, asthma, runny nose, hay fever-type symptoms and rashes on the skin," says Dr Dell Hood of the Waikato District Health Board.
In one sense, Ngaroto is a great place for recreation - it's long, thin and fairly calm; ideal for rowing, amateur boating and duck hunting. But even though the water is highly toxic, there are no plans for anyone to clean it up.
Lake users say they haven't had any health problems, but they are trying to be careful.
"It's a bit of an incentive to try and not splash each other because it's not very pleasant when you get a mouth of green water in your face," says rower Luka Ellery.
"If you felt the boat was going you'd sort of try and bring it to a stop to stop it from tipping over and you going in," says sailor Jonty Ellery.
The problem has been building up over time - nine cows died in 2005 when drinking from Lake Rotongaro.
A government report from 2010 hints at a link between fertiliser run-off from farms and the algae that killed the cows, though the Waikato Regional Council won't admit it directly.
"All the nutrients come from the surrounding land and in the rainfall, so it has come from whatever the surrounding land is," says Mr Vant.
The Government's proposal would give all waterways a rating from 'A' to 'E' – and these two lakes would definitely fail, as would many others.
3 News
source: newshub archive
