Lake Rosebery Information Hub

Lake Rosebery update - February 9

Clean-up of the oil spill is ongoing and progressing well. Booms on the lake are being used to remove the remaining oil, as well as shoreline clean-up by boat and land.

As of 5pm (Friday 7 February) the inter-agency effort has shifted into Stage 2, where Hydro Tasmania, as the lake owner, will start to lead clean-up efforts with oversight from the EPA.

This transition is occurring with a view to Hydro Tasmania taking over full management of the site and clean-up in coming weeks.

The lake remains a prohibited area and a decision to reopen the lake will be determined by advice from Tasmanian Public Health Services, the EPA and Hydro Tasmania as soon as possible.

We would like to thank the local community and lake users for being so understanding and patient as we continue our efforts, we really appreciate it.

To-date, our conversations suggest that there has been no impact to tourism in the local area.


Lake Rosebery is currently impacted by an oil spill. Hydro Tasmania, as lake owner, is supporting the EPA in an ongoing multi-agency effort to clean up the oil.

This page has been set up to share useful information, including regular updates and key contact details. If you have questions related to a specific topic such as public health or drinking water please direct your question to the responsible agency using the 'who should I contact?' information on the right.

Share this page with your community network to help everyone stay up-to-date with what's going on.

Visitor Alert

Marine and Safety Tasmania have declared Lake Rosebery a prohibited area.

The lake is closed until 11.59pm on Friday 14 February to all recreational use, including the boat ramp and Tullah jetty.

Lake Rosebery campground remains open.


I want to:

🌳 Visit nearby Hydro Tasmania sites

πŸ“° Read the latest updates

❔ Access FAQs

πŸ’¬ Talk to someone

Map of affected area

Messages from Public Health Services (as at Feb 3, 2025):

  • There is no risk to public health while Lake Rosebery is declared a Prohibited Area by Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST).
  • Mitigation measures have been put in place, such as bringing in drinking water to Tullah and closing the lake so people do not come into contact with the oil.

Lake Rosebery update - February 9

Clean-up of the oil spill is ongoing and progressing well. Booms on the lake are being used to remove the remaining oil, as well as shoreline clean-up by boat and land.

As of 5pm (Friday 7 February) the inter-agency effort has shifted into Stage 2, where Hydro Tasmania, as the lake owner, will start to lead clean-up efforts with oversight from the EPA.

This transition is occurring with a view to Hydro Tasmania taking over full management of the site and clean-up in coming weeks.

The lake remains a prohibited area and a decision to reopen the lake will be determined by advice from Tasmanian Public Health Services, the EPA and Hydro Tasmania as soon as possible.

We would like to thank the local community and lake users for being so understanding and patient as we continue our efforts, we really appreciate it.

To-date, our conversations suggest that there has been no impact to tourism in the local area.


Lake Rosebery is currently impacted by an oil spill. Hydro Tasmania, as lake owner, is supporting the EPA in an ongoing multi-agency effort to clean up the oil.

This page has been set up to share useful information, including regular updates and key contact details. If you have questions related to a specific topic such as public health or drinking water please direct your question to the responsible agency using the 'who should I contact?' information on the right.

Share this page with your community network to help everyone stay up-to-date with what's going on.

Visitor Alert

Marine and Safety Tasmania have declared Lake Rosebery a prohibited area.

The lake is closed until 11.59pm on Friday 14 February to all recreational use, including the boat ramp and Tullah jetty.

Lake Rosebery campground remains open.


I want to:

🌳 Visit nearby Hydro Tasmania sites

πŸ“° Read the latest updates

❔ Access FAQs

πŸ’¬ Talk to someone

Map of affected area

Messages from Public Health Services (as at Feb 3, 2025):

  • There is no risk to public health while Lake Rosebery is declared a Prohibited Area by Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST).
  • Mitigation measures have been put in place, such as bringing in drinking water to Tullah and closing the lake so people do not come into contact with the oil.
  • 08/02 - EPA Media Release

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    Next phase underway for Lake Rosebery oil spill

    The Lake Rosebery Oil Spill response is moving into its next phase as the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) transfers responsibility for recovery efforts to lake owner Hydro Tasmania. The transition will see Hydro Tasmania take the lead on cleanup efforts.

    As the lead agency, the EPA has been supported by Hydro Tasmania and other agencies throughout the response, including TasWater, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas), Public Health, Tas Ports, and the West Coast Council.

    EPA Director and CEO, Wes Ford said the response operation has moved from the original containment and collection activities to cleaning of impacted shorelines and recovery through ongoing monitoring and project management.

    β€œAs the critical incident response actions of containment and initial cleanup are completed, the ongoing cleanup project management will be undertaken by Hydro Tasmania, with the EPA providing ongoing advice and onsite support as required,” said Mr Ford.

    Around 52.4 kilometres of lake shoreline was assessed for oiling impact following a spill from a historical mechanical maintenance tank, with approximately 26 kilometres of shoreline identified as oiled to varying degrees. The maintenance tank has since been drained of residual oily water and protected from further oil discharge, and operational priorities have been shifted to prioritise cleanup of the Henry Bay shoreline area.

    β€œThis has been a large and complex operation, and our response teams have worked diligently to clean a total of 1730 metres of shoreline and approximately sixty cubic metres of oiled green waste has been removed from affected areas to date,” Mr Ford said.

    Plans are in place to control and recover any further spread of surface oil through ongoing use of collection booms and continuation of on-water and shore-based recovery of oil related products such as mousse, including any attached to foliage, branches, or shoreline terrain.

    Wildlife monitoring responsibilities have been transitioned from a dedicated NRE Tas wildlife spotter to operational staff at Lake Rosebery.

    β€œWildlife Officers are satisfied that observed wildlife are displaying normal behaviour and appear in otherwise healthy condition, and with the positive progress of the cleanup and ongoing weathering of the oil, the risk of wildlife oiling is steadily decreasing,” said Mr Ford.

    The EPA is currently undertaking formal investigations to determine what offences have been committed contrary to Tasmanian legislation and it is anticipated the investigation will be finalised later this year.

    The lake has been declared a Prohibited Area by Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) and is closed until 11:59 pm on Friday 14 February 2025, unless cancelled sooner, and includes all waters of Lake Rosebery.

    For more information, please contact the EPA Senior Environmental Engagement Officer on 0460 025 410

  • 04/02 - TasWater media release

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    Summary:

    • TasWater will resume Tullah Water Treatment Plant operations on 5 February after extensive sampling shows no impact to the water supply following an oil spill in the nearby Lake Rosebery in January.
    • The treatment plant will be run manually by onsite operators to allow for additional system checks, and increased water quality sampling will continue.
    • The impact to the water catchment has been assessed in collaboration with the EPA and Department of Health.
    • The intake is approximately 26 metres below the surface and some distance from the shore, while the oil is floating on the surface of the water around the shoreline.

    Read the full media release here.

  • 30/01 - TasWater media release

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    Summary:

    • TasWater continues to test water quality at its Tullah Water Treatment Plant, following an oil spill in the nearby Lake Rosebery earlier this month.

    • The impact to the water catchment had been assessed in collaboration with the EPA and Department of Health.

    • Multiple intake water samples taken from the site have not detected any contamination so far.

    • The intake is approximately 26 metres below the surface and some distance from the shore, while the oil is floating on the surface of the water around the shoreline.

    Read the full media release here.

  • 29/01 - EPA media release

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    Summary:

    • The lake closure has been extended until 11:59 pm on Friday 14 February 2025, unless cancelled sooner, and includes all waters of Lake Rosebery.

    • The EPA now estimates up to 4,000L of oil that was flushed from an old storage tank earlier this month. Approximately 26 kilometres of shoreline has been confirmed oiled.

    • The EPA response team is trialling several techniques to establish a cleaning regime.

    • Hydro Tasmania has been asked to lower the level of Lake Rosebery by 300 millimetres to enable safer shoreline access for clean-up efforts.

    Read the full media release here.

  • 24/01 - EPA media release

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    Summary:

    • A public drop-in forum with agencies involved with the spill response was held at the Tullah Hall on Thursday 23 January where approximately 20 local residents attended.

    • Going into the long weekend, the current priorities include, but are not limited to; safety, information gathering, continued reconnaissance for new oil or oil movement, shoreline cleaning and on-water removal of oil as well as monitoring and testing.

    Read the full media release here.

  • 21/01 - EPA media release

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    Summary:

    • The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is leading the response to an oil spill incident on Lake Rosebery on Tasmania's west coast.

    • The lake has been declared a Prohibited Area by Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) until at least 12:00 am on Friday 31 January 2025, unless cancelled sooner, and includes all waters of Lake Rosebery.

    • The spill followed significant rainfall on Sunday 12 January, flushing up to 5,000 litres of oil from an historical piece of infrastructure into a creek draining into Henry Bay.

    Read the full media release here.