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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