20 Dec 2017

Central Otago lake cleared for swimming

6:40 pm on 20 December 2017

Swimmers are safe to return to Lake Hayes in Central Otago after a warning was issued over E coli levels

Lake Hayes in Otago

Lake Hayes Photo: Supplied

The Otago Regional Council says E coli levels at the lake, near Queenstown, have returned to normal this week.

Samples taken last week were almost double the safety levels, but the council's resource science manager Dean Olsen said ducks may have been to blame.

He said staff collecting the samples noted a large concentration of ducks in the area at the time.

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