Lake Rosebery oil spill decimating small West Coast tourist town

Water is having to be brought in by truck, and the normally bustling tourist town of Tullah on the West Coast is ‘very quiet’ after a popular lake was shut to the public due to an oil spill.

Lake Rosebery and Mount Murchison near Tullah. PICTURE CHRIS KIDD

Trucks are transporting water into Tullah after the treatment plant near the West Coast town was forced to shut due to the oil spill in Lake Rosebery.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has provided more information on the cause of the oil spill.

Lake Rosebery has been closed since significant rainfall on January 12 flushed the contents of a “historical piece of infrastructure” into Henry Bay.

As a result, around 5000 litres of oil spilt into Lake Rosebery, and the body of water is expected to remain closed to the public until the end of the month.

Oil on the shore of Lake Rosebery. Picture: Supplied

Incident Controller Matt Jordan said the nearby water treatment plant had been shut down due to Lake Rosebery being a catchment.

“Water supplies to our Tullah customers are being maintained through a water carting schedule,” Mr Jordan said.

“We will resume water production at the water treatment plant when it is safe to do so and in close consultation with the EPA and the Department of Health.

“We appreciate everyone’s efforts to conserve water while we are dealing with the impact of the oil spill.

“We want to reassure the community that the oil spill is not related to TasWater’s operations.

“Our focus remains on ensuring the safety and reliability of water supplies for our customers and supporting the efforts of all parties to resolve the situation.”

Tullah local Benjamin Carrick is the Treasurer, Secretary, and Train Driver for the Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway that operates out of the town.

“Being a place that is pretty reliant on tourists coming through the town camping and staying in caravans, it sucks not having the lake available,” Mr Carrick said.

“The lake is usually full of people, and there’s always some activity going on – be it fishing, swimming, jet skiing or boating.

“It’s very quiet.”

Oil in the water at Lake Rosebery. Picture: Supplied.

Oil in the water at Lake Rosebery. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Carrick said he was worried about the long-term impact the oil spill could have on the town.

“When I first saw the oil spill, it didn’t look as big as it is. Now, it extends all the way to the dam.

“It’s going to affect us for a long time. These sorts of things don’t just go away overnight.”

For the railway, Mr Carrick said there had been a financial hit.

“It’s heavily affecting our income because we don’t have the tourists that come through town, and when they do come through town, there’s no real reason to stop – they buzz straight through to Zeehan, Queenstown and Strahan.”

Tullah local Benjamin Carrick is the Treasurer, Secretary, and Train Driver for the Wee Georgie Wood Steam Railway. Picture: Supplied

The EPA also provided more details on how the oil spill occurred.

“The origin of the spill was identified in the Henry Bay area, a tank on private land associated with historical mechanical maintenance was impacted by stormwater run-off on Sunday night, 12 January, flushing the contents of the tank out of a vent pipe and into a creek line that drains into Henry Bay,” an EPA spokesperson said.

“A formal investigation into the history of the tank and the circumstance of the spill is currently being undertaken by the EPA.”

Originally published as Lake Rosebery oil spill decimating small West Coast tourist town