Lake Level Update 4PM

By 3pm today (Saturday) Lake Wakatipu was showing a small drop of 2.5cm in level, sitting at 311.455m but the Otago Regional Council is cautioning it is too soon to know if this is the start of a downward trend.

"The small drop could be attributed to slop on the lake so it is too soon to consider the lake might have peaked," ORC environmental engineering and natural hazards director Gavin Palmer said.

If the downward trend continued into tomorrow, Mr Palmer said it could be taken as an indication the lake had started to recede.

"We will be more comfortable once we see a drop in the order of 10cm," he said.