Drilling works ramp up as Council investigates alternate water source

Work to better understand a proposed alternate water source for Invercargill and Bluff has ramped up, with further test bores set to be used for crucial data collection.

Invercargill City Council had progressed investigating an alternate water supply site at Awarua, with work to install additional monitoring bores at the site of an underground aquifer now underway.

Council General Manager Water Services Matt Keil said the Awarua Alternate Water Supply project aimed to strengthen the community’s resilience in the event of an emergency or disruption to its existing water supply source.

Invercargill and Bluff relied on just a single source of water, the Ōreti River, with capacity for just a few days’ worth of water to be stored in the city’s existing network.

Two test bores and two production wells had been in place on-site since 2021. The addition of two more test bores would enhance data collection, to help Council better understand the water and how the surrounding environment would react to it being drawn down, Keil said.

“This work is a long-term investment in Invercargill and Bluff’s future water security, and our community’s essential infrastructure. The installation of these bores on site is a real milestone, as we transition from the planning phase into the long-term testing and investigation,” he said.

Earlier investigations had identified a deep groundwater resource on-site, with the potential to provide high-quality drinking water.

“The monitoring points will help us better understand the aquifer, including groundwater levels, the quality of the water column, and how the aquifer performs and behaves, particularly in relation to its surrounding environment,” Keil said.

Drilling works for the test wells were expected to be completed by early next year, subject to weather and ground conditions.