SA WATER is assessing how to remove a vehicle from the Blue Lake following last night’s crash, but assured the public it poses no risk to safety.
In a statement released today, the authority said “following an emergency incident at Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake overnight, we have, as a precaution, temporarily switched the city’s drinking water supply to be sourced from the local borefield”.
SA Water stated the water remains safe to drink and meets Australian drinking water guidelines, but some customers may notice a slight difference in taste or colour due to the switch to bore water.
SA Health has been notified as per standard procedure, as well as the local hospital and any critical customers.
“We are still assessing the next steps in removing the car from the lake, but it’s currently not posing any safety or other risks,” SA Water stated.
“Water supply will be reverted back to the Blue Lake once we’ve had time to make sure water quality is unaffected.”
The Border Watch has previously reported a man escaped serious injury after his car left the road and crashed into the Blue Lake.
Just after 11.30pm last night, police and emergency service crews were called to the top of Bay Road just past the Blue Lake lookout after a ute careered through a guard rail and fence and plunged down the steep embankment surrounding the lake.
Rescue crews used a boat and located the ute – a Mitsubishi Triton – partly submerged.
The driver had been ejected from the car before it hit the water.
The 22-year-old from the South East was uninjured from the crash and was taken to the Mount Gambier Hospital for assessments.
The Border Watch will continue to provide updates as the situation progresses.
For more information, call the SA Water Customer Care Centre on 1300 SA WATER.
