Media advisory

Fernhill spill won’t affect water supply.

Council contractors worked quickly to clean up a sewage overflow from a manhole near the intersection of Fernhill Road and Arawata Terrace this afternoon.

Sewage was reported to have spilled across the road and into the storm water system and it was strongly suspected to have reached Lake Wakatipu, upstream of the Two Mile water intake.

The Two Mile water intake was shut down while the sewer was cleared by jet blaster and the spill site sanitised.

Queenstown Lakes District Council 3 Waters manager Gerry Essenberg says while there was no risk to the public water supply following the spill, the water intake, which feeds Fernhill Reservoir No 1, will remain closed as a precautionary measure for the next 24 hours.

“We’ve been monitoring the water entering the supply and results are normal,” he said. “The reservoir is 90% full so will be able to meet demand until we turn the intake on again.”

ENDS

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Scoop Business: Bathurst Gets Nod For DoC Access To Denniston Mine

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has approved access over conservation estate land for Bathurst Resources to develop an open cast coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, above Westport, to the dismay of environmental opponents.

The timing for Smith’s move avoids Bathurst having to resubmit applications for access agreements under the revised Crown Minerals Act, which comes into force tomorrow and would have required public consultation.

The announcement lands in the middle of delicate negotiations between the company, environmental groups and other interested parties that could pave the way to a broader agreement on the Escarpment proposal, whose resource consents are still subject to court appeals. More>>