Invercargill’s fight to resist ‘catastrophic’ drinking water failure

Detailed summary

Drilling will soon commence on a major project to bolster Invercargill's water supply amid concern about the city's reliance on a single source.

Drilling will soon commence on a major project to bolster Invercargill's water supply amid concern about the city's reliance on a single source.

Invercargill City Council currently supplies around 23,000 cubic metres of water to residents every day, but last year highlighted "severe risk" over its dependence on the Ōreti River.

It detailed "catastrophic" consequences in the unlikely event of prolonged drought or contamination, including public health threats, sanitation issues, loss of firefighting capability, and a halt to commercial and industrial activity.

The city was the only one of its size in New Zealand without an available alternate supply, and investigative work had begun at an Awarua site in 2021, which included exploration wells, the council said.

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