By the Explore Invercargill news desk · Published Thursday 12 November 2026
Invercargill City Council is installing two more test bores at Awarua, where it is investigating an underground aquifer as a second water source for Invercargill and Bluff.
- Where
- Proposed alternate water supply site at Awarua
- When
- Drilling expected to finish by early 2027; pumping and monitoring to run for about three years
- Cost
- Phase 1 budget $23.9 million (Water Committee report)
- Next step
- Water permit application to Environment Southland planned for the end of November 2026
Every tap in Invercargill and Bluff is fed from the Ōreti River, and if that supply were cut, the city’s pipes and reservoirs hold enough for only a few days. The council’s Awarua Alternate Water Supply project is meant to give the community a fallback if that source is disrupted or there is an emergency.
The site at Awarua has had two test bores and two production wells since 2021, Earlier work there pointed to a deep aquifer that may be able to supply good-quality drinking water.
The council says the two new test bores are about measurement: tracking water levels and quality, and what happens to the land and water around the site when the aquifer is pumped.
Council General Manager Water Services Matt Keil said in the council’s announcement, “This work is a long-term investment in Invercargill and Bluff’s future water security, and our community’s essential infrastructure.”
A staged three-year pumping test
A project update to the council’s Water Committee meeting on Tuesday 3 November sets out the plan. The council intends to apply to Environment Southland for a five-year water permit, with the application due to be lodged at the end of November.
The permit would cover a 36-month pumping investigation in two stages: up to 3,000 cubic metres a day from one production well for up to 18 months, with a formal review after 12 months, then, only if that review supports it, up to 5,000 cubic metres a day from two wells for a further 18 months.
The first phase of the project is focused on securing and testing an emergency supply of five million litres a day. The report puts its budget at $23.9 million and says the forecast remains on budget.
Any long-term water take would need a separate resource consent, informed by the test results, before the council decides whether to use Awarua as an emergency or alternate supply.
Timeline and what could change it
The report’s programme has the wells built and monitoring equipment in place by January 2027, consent granted around May 2027, pump testing starting in June 2027 and a first assessment of the aquifer’s capacity in July 2028. The council expects the current drilling to finish by early next year, depending on weather and ground conditions.
Several things are still unsettled. The third production well, which the first pumping stage relies on, is on hold while land access is negotiated, and access agreements with private landowners and Department of Conservation concessions are still being worked through. How long Environment Southland takes to process the application, and whether it is notified, are also unknown.
The committee report says staff will come back to the Water Committee once Environment Southland confirms how the permit application will be processed, or sooner if the programme changes significantly.
- Invercargill City Council news: Drilling works ramp up as Council investigates alternate water source, released 10 November 2026
- Water Committee agenda, Tuesday 3 November 2026: Alternate Water Supply Project update (PDF), released 29 October 2026
Explore Invercargill news desk: news@exploreinvercargill.co.nz. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we’ll correct it.
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