Editing Lake Taupō (section)

==Geography==
Lake Taupō has a perimeter of approximately {{cvt|193|km}} and a maximum depth of {{cvt|186|m}}. It is drained by the [[Waikato River]] (New Zealand's longest river), and its main tributaries are the [[Waitahanui River]], the [[Tongariro River]], and the [[Tauranga Taupō River]]. It is a noted [[trout]] fishery with stocks of introduced [[brown trout|brown]] and [[rainbow trout]].

The level of the lake is controlled by [[Mercury Energy]], the owner of the eight hydroelectric dams on the Waikato River downstream of Lake Taupō, using gates built in 1940–41. The gates are used to reduce flooding, conserve water and ensure a minimum flow of {{convert|50|m3/s||abbr=on}} in the Waikato River. The [[resource consent]] allows the level of the lake to be varied between {{convert|355.85|and|357.25|m|}} above sea level.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://emidatasets.blob.core.windows.net/publicdata/Datasets/Environment/_AdditionalInformation/ArchivedDatasets/20100630_HydrologicalData/20090331_Lake_level_history/20090331_Lake_level_history_report.pdf |title=Lake Level History|last=Opus International Consultants Limited|date=27 February 2009}}</ref>