Residents in Queenstown could be boiling their water for months as officials grapple with a parasite outbreak of cryptosporidium.
Of the outbreak so far, Te Whatu Ora South has confirmed 30 cases, with other possible cases being investigated.
The popular tourist hotspot has been under a water boil notice for a week now and officials warn the notice could be in place for up to three months.
Queenstown Lakes-District Mayor Glyn Lewers told AM officials are continuing to investigate the outbreak but had no clear timeline on when the water notice would end.
Lewers said the council is working with the suppliers of a special water filter system, a UV barrier, which he said could cost between $1 to $2 million – depending on how hard it is to get the barrier on the site.
The Mayor told AM, Queenstown should have a better idea of the timings by the end of this week.
"If we can get these barriers down here quick smart, the teams have told me seven to eight weeks."
He said a rule change in November 2020, demanded the council to install the barrier, though Lewers said "the logistics of getting everything all done in that time is a little bit tight".
"I recognise that some of these rules have been in [place] for a fair bit of time, but we're working through the costings now."
Lewers told AM Queenstown has always had issues with funding infrastructure because of its small ratepayers pool and large tourism numbers.
He added the council has been asking the Government for help in funding the upgrades and will continue to ask for help.
"Obviously with the election going on they can't commit to anything, but they haven’t ruled it out," he said.
"What I'd like straight after the election is we’re sitting around a room nutting all of this out, developing a plan over an extended period of time, and there is some co-funding from central government."
It comes as the national water regulator Taumata Arowai severed a compliance order on the council for its Two Mile water treatment place – which does not have a protozoa barrier to stop cryptosporidium.
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