Water tower closed on earthquake risk fears
Invercargill’s famous water tower has been closed to the public because of earthquake safety concerns.
City council water manager Alister Murray said a growing awareness of the risks of unreinforced buildings in the city prompted the move.
The decision to close the tower was made on Wednesday and the building will remain closed while the council awaits an engineer’s report into its safety.
‘‘We don’t know enough about the structure to say it is not an earthquake risk,’’ Mr Murray said.
The report could take some time given national demand for inspections after the Christchurch earthquakes, he said.
‘‘It could be closed for quite a while. We have put out a request [for an inspection] but it has become apparent people prominent in that sort of field are in short supply.’’
The decision had been made at management level, but council would decide whether to continue the closure or reopen it Tuesday’s meeting, he said.
Built in 1889, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust-listed tower is a noted city landmark and features in many postcards and images of Invercargill.
Mr Murray said groups that had booked tours would be contacted.
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