22 May 2025

Wastewater spill into Lake Wakatipu

1:25 pm on 22 May 2025
A road runs through scrub alongside a lake with mountains in the background and a cloudy sky.

Lake Wakatipu. Photo: Unsplash / Kishan Modi

Queenstown Lakes District Council is investigating what it calls a regrettable wastewater spill into Lake Wakatipu.

The council says up to 2000 litres of wastewater spilled into the lake on Monday, from a site on Frankton Arm where council contractors were working.

The overflow lasted less than two minutes.

The council has set up warning signs around the lake and is doing water quality testing.

It was confident any contaminants would be within permitted limits when the results are back later on Thursday.

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