Lake Rosebery remains off-limits to the public after an oily substance was discovered floating across nearly a kilometre of the lake’s surface.
As first reported by Pulse, Hydro Tasmania notified the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) of the spill around the Henry Bay Boat Ramp last Monday.
The EPA stood up an Incident Response Team and deployed marine pollution trained staff and oil spill response equipment to Tullah the following evening.
After several days of investigation, the EPA has confirmed that the “most concentrated” area of the spill was near the boat ramp.
Preliminary surveys revealed evidence of oil, sheen and moussing across the lake, stretching from the base of the Macintosh Dam southward to Sterling Inlet and west of Tullah.
“A potential source for the spill has been identified as an historic part of infrastructure in the Henry Bay area, where oil has been stored for many years,” an EPA spokesperson said.
“The community are asked to avoid all water activities on and around Lake Rosebery as the response team’s efforts continue.”
The marine pollution team has implemented measures to prevent further leakage and contain the spill.
Investigations into the spill’s source and the nature of the substance are still underway.
