Spill risks cleared
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The Tasmanian town of Tullah’s tap water is safe again, despite a nearby oil spill.
TasWater has confirmed that drinking water production at the Tullah Water Treatment Plant will resume this week following testing that found no contamination from the recent Lake Rosebery oil spill.
Water quality tests reportedly show the oil spill did not affect the plant’s sub-surface intake pipe, which draws water from close to 26 metres below the lake’s surface and at a considerable distance from the shoreline.
“Multiple intake water samples taken from the site have not detected any contamination,” TasWater Incident Controller Matt Jordan said.
The oil spill, triggered by heavy rainfall on 12 January, released an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 litres of heavy hydrocarbon lubricants from an underground tank, contaminating around 30 kilometres of shoreline.
Cleanup operations, led by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), have been ongoing, with measures such as booms and absorbent pads deployed to contain the spill.
Despite the environmental concerns, TasWater, in collaboration with the EPA and the Department of Health, has confirmed the drinking water remains safe.
“Given that, and the fact that our intake is approximately 26 metres below the water surface and some distance from the shore, we are confident we can safely resume supply at Tullah, with a number of operational precautions in place,” Mr Jordan said
Precautionary measures include manual operation of the treatment plant by onsite staff and heightened water quality monitoring for the next four weeks.
If contamination is detected during this period, TasWater says it may suspend operations and revert to water carting, which has maintained supply for Tullah residents since the spill.
The EPA’s investigation into the spill’s cause and potential environmental breaches remains ongoing.
