The recent purchase of lift bags by the Queenstown Lakes District Council proved its worth during a salvage exercise on Lake Wanaka on Wednesday.

A possible bilge pump failure saw the small launch The Moeraki, owned by a local syndicate; sink to the bottom of the lake, next to the marina.

"It appears the battery may have gone flat, which in turn caused the bilge pump to fail," QLDC harbourmaster Marty Black said.

The call was made to raise the boat due to a potential pollution issue.

"From beginning to end we had the boat off the bottom and floating in just over 30 minutes," Mr Black said.

The lift bags meant the boat sustained only water damage with no damage from the recovery.

"It was a really successful operation. Clearly in the event of an emergency in any of our waterways, the lift bags will be an invaluable addition to our rescue toolkit in this district," Mr Black said.

ENDS

For further information please contact Marty Black 0274 345 289.

By: Sarah