PHOTO: ORCStaff from the Otago Regional Council and the Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes District Councils gather at Windfall Creek, where it enters Lake Wānaka, this week to take part in a freshwater oil spill response exercise. In a statement yesterday regional council investigations team leader Peter Kelliher said the training was centred on deploying a "containment boom" where the creek ran into the lake. Mr Kelliher said a containment boom was an important tool used to limit the spread of oil should an oil spill take place. "The exercise was an excellent demonstration of local authorities working together to strengthen preparedness and response capability across the Central Otago districts," he said. The joint exercise formed part of ongoing regional readiness activities aimed at protecting Otago’s freshwater environments and supporting co-ordinated emergency responses, the council statement said.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 27, 2026 16:02 UTC