Staff from the Otago Regional Council (ORC), Central Otago District Council, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC), and QLDC Harbourmaster teams took part in a joint freshwater oil spill response exercise at Waterfall Creek, a tributary of Lake Wānaka, on Wednesday this week.

ORC’s Investigations Team Leader, Peter Kelliher says the training of up to 20 staff focused on deploying a containment boom around the confluence of Waterfall Creek and Lake Wānaka, an important technique used to limit the spread of oil during a spill event.

“The exercise was an excellent demonstration of local authorities working together to strengthen preparedness and response capability across the Central Otago districts.”

“This was a great example of councils collaborating to ensure we’re ready to respond quickly and effectively to oil discharges, whether they come from vessels on the lake or from road incidents near waterways,” Mr Kelliher says.

The joint exercise forms part of ongoing regional readiness activities aimed at protecting Otago’s freshwater environments and supporting coordinated emergency responses.

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