An estimated 5,000 litres of oil has spilled into Lake Rosebery on Tasmania’s West Coast, closing the popular waterway until at least the end of the month.
30 kilometres of shoreline is thought to have been impacted by the “substantial pollution event”, which occurred after heavy rainfall flushed oil from “historical infrastructure” into a creek that flows into Henry Bay.
Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Director Wes Ford on Tuesday evening said it was hard to know “exactly” how much oil has spilled into the lake.
He confirmed oil has been located along about 18 kilometres of the lake so far, with booms, absorbent pads and spill socks collecting oil at various locations.
“Due to the free oil that remains on the lake there is still significant risk to the public through secondary oiling of watercraft, ingesting fish product and human contact through swimming,” he said.
“The cleanup equipment operating on the water also poses considerable risk to public safety through vessel interaction.”
The EPA said oil samples contained heavy hydrocarbons, indicating the involvement of various lubricant oils.
Testing for pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has so far returned negative results.
Ford said the lake has been declared a prohibited area by Marine and Safety Tasmania until at least the end of January due to the ongoing risks.
“We take any incident which harms the environment and disrupts operations very seriously,” he said.
“The EPA is working closely with relevant authorities, including Hydro Tasmania, TasWater and the West Coast Council to manage the response.”
A public drop-in forum will be held at the Tullah Hall on Thursday from 4pm to 7pm to provide updates and address community concerns.
