Tennant Limited’s Great Australia Mine operations manager Peter Tandy said he was informed of the incident late last Monday afternoon.

“We apologise for any inconvenience we’ve caused to residents,” Mr Tandy said.

“I don’t think it’s had an impact on the river system yet at this stage and the river is not really used for any recreational activities.”

However, he warned against people drinking and swimming in the creek or letting stock drink from it.

At the source of the leak the ph level was 2.6 which caused skin and eye irritation and breathing difficulties and led the Cloncurry Shire Council chief executive officer Craig Turnour to issue a public health notice.

While at the emergency built dam closest to town, which was one of three built along the creek, the ph level was recorded as neutral or 6.5.

Mr Tandy said as soon as the mine was informed of the contamination by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) they shut off that pipeline.

A neighbouring property owner is believed to have contacted the EPA.

“We responded immediately to the situation and to contain it,” Mr Tandy said.

“Our first priority now is to clean up and use trucks to move all the solution back to the (mine) site, then work with the EPA on any remedial actions that have to be taken.”

The mine was continuing to remove contaminated water from the dams at about 9000 litres per 45 minutes on Thursday.

Mr Tandy said the pipeline ran adjacent to the Coppermine Creek which runs through the Great Australia Mine site.

He said the pipeline’s end cap had been dislodged and that had resulted in the caustic solution, which contained copper, leaking into the creek.