‘Extreme danger’ as town of Southland runs out of water as Mossburn borehole runs dry

Residents of the town of Mossburn in northern Southland are urged to conserve water immediately as there is an extreme risk of the township drying out.

In a social media post, Southland District Council said one of the township’s two bores was dry and the other was producing four liters per second.

But the city uses four liters per second and the tank is at 40%.

“We are not making progress and have not yet reached the peak usage time of day,” the message read.

READ MORE:
* $100,000 ‘too little, too late’ funding as drought hits Southland and parts of Otago
* Weather: O’Connor unlikely to declare drought in Southland

There is an extreme danger that the township will dry up if water use is not curtailed urgently, the council said.

Residents are asked not to wash vehicles or use a hose to water gardens or lawns, including portable hoses.

Data from Statistics New Zealand shows that 1,209 people live in Mossburn, which is on the main road between Queenstown and Te Anau.

On Thursday, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor classified drought conditions in Southland and Clutha and Queenstown Lakes districts as a medium-scale adverse event.