Waikato Regional Council says it’s extremely frustrating to see a spill of white paint into Lake Taupo.

It appears as if the paint – which created a 25 metre by 50 metre discoloured area this morning – had been dumped into the stormwater system at Hot Water Beach.

“It’s beyond belief that someone would dump this amount of paint into the stormwater system knowing it could end up in the lake – it’s an environmental eyesore,” said incident response manager Derek Hartley.

“We strongly urge people to dispose of surplus paint responsibly and not dump it into the stormwater system.

“The lake is a very precious asset and we don’t want it being affected in this way.”

Mr Hartley said the acrylic paint was likely to dissolve completely in the water over time and it wasn’t expected to have a major impact on aquatic life.

“But clearly it has potential to get into birds’ feathers and is an eyesore.”

The council will continue to monitor the spill and any effect it has. Anyone with information about the spill is asked to ring 0800 800 401. It appears as if the paint was put into the stormwater system some time this morning.