No long-term damage was expected in Lake Wakatipu after "quite a few tonnes" of farm fertiliser was lost in the water when the Cecil Peak barge capsized on Wednesday.
Queenstown Lakes District Council harbourmaster Marty Black was unsure of the amount of fertiliser lost when the barge turned over.
"That was on the barge. It was some kind of farm fertiliser.
"It will go into the lake. It will have a minimal effect given the amount of water . . .
"I don't think there's any long-term damage likely. We might get a few big fish down Kingston way, though."
Mr Black said the fertiliser was no different from that used on farmlands which ended up in the lake as run-off.
He said a minimal amount of diesel entered the lake as the diesel on board was in drums, secured on the back of the barge.
They did appear to be leaking.
It was unknown what caused the barge to capsize about 2pm on Wednesday.
Only Cecil Peak farm manager Philip Rive was on board and he escaped underwater from the wheelhouse.
A tractor which was on the barge was now resting about 300m beneath the surface and would not be salvaged.
The barge was righted just before 6pm on Thursday.
